So in honoring God a man honors himself yea and thereby God doth put hâ—nor on him for what is honor but Testimonium de alicujus excellentia Testifying of anothers Excellency and the more I testifie of any Excellency in a man the more I honor him Now when God doth betrust a man with his Work he testifies of an excellency in him The Lord hath counted me faithful and put me into his Work saith Paul yea the greatest greatness in this world is to wait upon the great God Therefore faith our Savior of John the Baptist Amâ—ngst them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than he Matth. 11.11 And if ye look into Gen. 1. ye shal find That the Moon is câ—lled one of the two great Lights ver 16. And God made two great Lights the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night But though the Moon is said to be lesser than the Sun yet it is said to be one of the two greaâ— Lights And why so are there not other Stars greater than the Moon Yes but because the Moon is the most influential and serviceable to the world therefore it is said to be greater than others So that in â—ods account the more service we do in the world the greater we are and the more honorable in Gods Eyes Answ 3 Thereby also we are kept from the dint of Temptations idleness breeds Temptation Our Vacation is the Devils Term Homines nihil agendo male discunt agere otium est vivi hominis sepultura Sen. when we are least at work for God then is Satan most at work about us By doing nothing men learn to do evil yea Idleness is the burying of a living man Answ 4 Great and good Employment is the Mercy promised That can hardly be a smal mercy which the great God doth promise promised Mercies are the sweeâ—est Mercies Now thâ— Lord promiseth Esay 58.18 That if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry c. The Lord shall guide thee continually and they that shall be of thee shal build the old wast places thou shalt raise up the Foundations of many Generations and thou shalt be called the Repairer of the Breaches the Restorer of Paths to dwell in Here is Employment and Betrustment promised Answ 5 The more useful and serviceable a man is to God the more apt and ready God wil be to pardon his failings not only the failings of his present employment but of the other part of his life also What a great failing was that in Rahab to say the Spyes were gone when she had hid them in the top of her house yet the Lord pardoned this failing to her Why Because she beleeved and was useful and serviceable unto Gods great design in that her day And if ye look into Numb 〈◊〉 ye shall find That though Aaron and Miriam were both engaged in the same sin and evil of envying and murmuring against Moses yet the Lord spaâ—ed Aaron when he strook Miriam with a Leprosie But why saith Abulensis was not Aaron smitten with the Leprosie as well as Miriam what because he was not so deeply in the Transgression as she was No for verse 1. it 's said Then spake Aaron and Miriam not as if she were put on by him Or because that Aaron confessed his sin as she did not No for so did Miriam also for she was a good woman Or because that God owed Aaron a punishment till afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom Hom. 3. ad Collos No for that appears not by the Text but he was the High-Priest and if he had been smitten with Leprosie it would have brought his Ministry under some contempt the Work of the Lord would have ceased for a time also and though he failed in this thing yet he was otherwise a very useful and serviceable man and God would shew his aptness and readiness to pardon such rather than others Answ 6 If a man be employed for God in any special Service and Work the Lord will not only pardon his failings but if he be faithful in his Work God will bless him and set a Character of Love and Favor upon him What a Character of Love did the Lord set on Caleb and Joshua Of all men in Scripture it 's said of Caleb that he followed the Lord fully and this Character God himself did set upon him Numb 15.24 But my Servant Caleb because he had another spirit with him and hath followed me fully c. But why did God own and dignifie Caleb thus Even because he was faithful in that Work Service and Employment which God did call him to Answ 7 Yea The Serviceable man is the only man who doth live and speak when he is dead I mean for God Some are very active and serviceable for the Devil whilst they live they write and print wanton filthy Books and they speak while they are dead but it is still for Satan Others are very active and serviceable for God while they live they write and print works of Faith and Holiness and they also speak when they are dead as it 's said of Abel Who being dead yet speaketh but how doth he speak now The Apostle tels us Heb. 11. by Faith By which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It relates unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith Well but what cast of Faith did he do He offered a more excellent Sacrifice than his Elder Brother which was the work and Service of his day So that the Serviceable man is the only man who doth speak when hâ— is dead Surely therfore it is a very great Priviledg and Mercy to be used and employed for God in his Work and Service Yet if God will not use me why should I be discouraged or complain Is not God free and may not he employ whom he pleaseth Shall the poor Potsheard say unto him why doest thou lay me by What if God will cross hands and lay his right hand on anothers head and his left hand on mine Shall I think to direct and order the hands of Gods Providence as Joseph would have altered Jacobs Iâ— not his Work his own and may not he put it out unto whom he please and if I complain thereof is not this my pride Proud men scorn their own employment and envy at others It 's a mercy indeed to be employed for God yet if God will not trust me with his Service as I desire why should I be discouraged Yet I may be Gods Servant For First The Service of God is two-fold Somtimes it is taken for some special Employment which a man is called forth unto And somtimes it is taken for our ordinary Obedience unto Gods Commandements In the first sence it is used often in Numb 4. and frequently in the old Testament called The Service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation So in the new Testament also Rom. 15.31 That my Service may be accepted In the second sence it is used
humble and what they do want at the first they have it afterwards by degrees soaking into their souls Have they then any reason to be discouraged in these respects surely no. Quest But should not a Godly Gracious man be fully grieved and humbled for his sin Answ Grieved humbled for his sin yes surely though the Lord through the over-ruling hand of his Grace do work never so much good out of my sin unto me yet I am to be humbled for it and the rather to be humbled for it because he works good out of it I have read indeed of the Mother of those three Learned men Lumbard Gratian and Comaestor the three great pillars of the Roman Church for Lumbard wrote the sentences and Gratian the Popish Decretals and Comaestor Historiam Scholasticam that when she lay on her death bed and the Priest came unto her and called upon her for repentance of her whoredomes Hos tres Gratianum viz. Pet. Lumbardum et Pet. Comaestorem fuisse Germanos ex adulterio natos quorum mater cum in extremis peccatum suum confiteretur et confessor redargueret crimen perpetrati aduâ—terii quia valde grave esset et ideo multum deberet dolore et penitentiam agere respondet illa Pater scio quod adulterium peccatum magnum est sed considerans quantum bonum secutum est cum isti silii mei sint lumina magna in Ecclesia Ego non valeo paenitere Cui confessor hoc ex dono Dei est ex te autem adulterium crimen magnum et de hoc doleas c. Decret fol. 1. Gratiani vita for these three Lumbard Gratian and Comaestor were her bastards as the very popish writers do record it he telling her that she must be greatly afflicted grieved and humbled for her uncleanness or else she could not be saved why said she I confess indeed that whoredom and uncleanness is a great sin but considering what a great deal of good hath come to the Church of God by my sin that three such great lights have been brought forth into the world by my sin Non valeo paenitentiam agere I cannot I wil not repent thus it is with many poor ignorant souls when they see how the Lord by his over-ruling hand doth work good unto them out of their sin as some outward blessings mercys they do not repent of their sin but rather justify themselves in their sins but now take a Godly man a gracious soul and the more that he sees the Lord working good out of his sin the more he is humbled for it and upon that very ground because God works good of it therefore he is humbled the more Yet further it is observed that though the Lord did ordinarily cal David his servant yet when David had sinned that great sin he sent the prophet to him saying Go say to David he had lost the title of servant now bare David now single David now David without the title my servant And so though God ordinarily called the people of Israel his people yet when they had committed that great sin of Idolatry in the matter of the Golden Calfe the Lord doth not cal them his people but he saith to Moses The people not My people but The people and Thy people Moses now they had lost their old title Thus I say the sins of Gods own people do deprive them and divest them of their spiritual priviledges and can a gracious heart look upon this and consider how he is divested and disrobed of his spiritual priviledges and not mourn under it Can one friend grieve another friend and not be grieved himself The Saints by their sins they grieve God who is their best friend and therefore certainly they must needs be grieved they must needs be humbled or there is no Grace not grieved not humbled not Gracious But now because they are grieved and humbled for sin committed therefore they are not discouraged I say because they are grieved and because they are humbled for sin committed therefore they are not discouraged for discouragement is a hinderance to humiliation and the more truly a man is humbled for sin committed the less he is discouraged and the more a man is discouraged the less he is truly humbled Quest You wil say then but what is the difference between these a man is to be humbled and not discouraged not discouraged and yet to be humbled what is the difference between these two being humbled and being discouraged Answ It is a profitable question and worth our time by way of answer therefore thus First When a man is humbled truly humbled the object of his grief sorrow or trouble is sin it self as a dishonor done unto God the object of discouragement is a mans own condition or sin in order to his own condition the ultimate object of discouragement being a mans own condition when a man is discouraged you shal find stil that his trouble runs al out upon his own condition O! saith a discouraged person I have sinned I have thus sinned and therefore my condition is naught and if my condition be naught now it wil never be better Lord what wil become of my soul Stil his trouble is about his own condition But when a man is grieved and truly humbled for sin his trouble is about sin it self as a dishonor done unto God To clear this by scripture you know Cain was discouraged but Cain was not humbled how may that appear Cain was troubled about his condition Ah! saith he My punishment is greater than I can bear on the other side the poor prodigal was humbled but not discouraged how may that appear his trouble was about his sin and not about his condition I wil return unto my Father saith he and I wil say unto him I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and I am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants David sometimes was both discouraged and humbled and then you find his repentance and humiliation to be very brackish but if you look into the Psal 51. you shal find David humbled but not discouraged for it is a penitential Psalm therefore humbled and not discouraged for stil he did keep his Assurance vers 14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God thou God of my Salvation But what was his repentance his trouble about It was about his sin and not about his condition read vers 23. and so on Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and clense me from my sin for I acknowledg my transgression and my sin is ever before me Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me stil ye see his eye is upon his sin and not upon his condition only So that I say when a man is truly humbled and grieved for sin the object of his grief is sin as a dishonor
in altero Where Nature is deficient in one thing it is abundant in another thing If a man wants his Eyes he hears the better and the less he sees the more he remembers where Nature is wanting in one thing it is exceeding in another And as Nature so the God of Nature and the God of Grace too It may be you do want a Head-memory but hath not the Lord given you a Heart-memory to remember thâ— Sermon as you have occasion to use it Some have Parts and Gifts and they want plainness and openness of heart for God some again have a plain heart and they want Gifts and Parts It is said Jacob That he prevailed with God in Prayer and he was a plain man Mark how the Holy Ghost doth put these two together That that man should be the prevailing man with God in Prayer who was the plain man and that man that was the plain man should be the prevailing man in Prayer a plain man but prâ—vailing with God Well then though thou beest but a plain person and hast no Parts or Gifts as others have yet thou maiest prevail with God and thy Name may be called Israel prevailing with the Lord When God denies one he gives another Mercy Thus it is with all the Saints and People of God and a godly gracious man may say thus Well though I have not great Parts and Gifts yet blessed be the Lord I have a plain and an open heart for God and if the Lord hath done thus much for you and recompenced you in another way have you any reason then to be discouraged for want of Parts and Gifts in Duties Certainly you have not Object O! but yet this is not the matter of my Discouragement I am not discouraged for want of Parts or Gifts in Duty but I want the Grace and the Holiness of Duty I want the Grace and the Holiness of Prayer I go to Prayer and Duty but the Lord knows wiâ—h a dull dead and a straightened heart I think verily that there is not a more rockie stony flinty heart in the world than mine I offer my self to God somtimes in Prayer but when I come at it I am not able to speak a word my heart is so shut up and straightened and have I not cause and reason now to be discouraged is not this matter of just discouragement Answ No. For Pearls somâ—imes grow upon Rocks and possibly there may be some Pearl of Grace growing upon that rocky heart of thine Yet further First You say That you are straightened in Duty but are you satisfied and contented with that condition or if you had enlargeâ—ent in Duty would you be satisfied therein No I am not satisfied with my straightened condition and the truth is though I had never so much enlargement enlargement alone would never satisfie my soul but if I had more affection I would give it up to God yea if I had a Sea of Affection I would powr it out before the Lord and if I had Prayers and Tears and Enlargements like the Sands upon the Seâ—shore I would offer them all up to God Well and is not this to be enlarged towards God A poor man that hath never a penny in his Purse sees another or many others in want but he hath nothing to relieve them with yet saith he if I had wherewithal I would relieve all these men I would cloath them all or I would feed them all is not this mans heart enlarged now towards the poor though he hath not a penny to help them with So in your case for the present thy Affection is poor and thou aâ—â— straightened but thou sayest if I had a Sea of Affection I would give it all to God and if I had Prayers like the Sand upon the Sea-shore I would give them all to God is not this to be enlarged towards God God doth give by denying somtimes and thus he hath dealt by you Secoâ—dly If your Condition herein be no other than the condition of the Saints and People of God then you have no just cause and reason to be discouraged in this respect Now Psalm 77.3 4. saith the Plalmist there I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was over-whelmed Lord saith he at verse 4. Thou holdest mine Eyes watching I am so troubled that I cannot speak I cannot pray I am so troubled I cannot speak A Mother hears her child cry and saith she now doth this Child cry for the Breast yet the Child speaks not a word but the Mother knows the meaning of the childs crying and the language of it And doth a Mother know the language of her Childs crying and doth not God our Father know the Language of his Childs cry that cannot speak unto him The Beggar that follows you for an Alms is a Beggar though he be dumb and cannot speak and you say send him away with some gift for he follows us So here though your heart be shut up in Duty yet if you can follow God he looks upon you as a Beggar at the Throne of Grace and in due time he will serve you and send you away with Comfort Thirdly You would fain have enlargements and workings of the heart in Prayer but what would you do with those enlargements Would you shew your Enlargements your Excellencies your Graces to God when you come to Duty A Beggar you know if he have any excellent thing as Gold or Silver he hides that and he shews his wounds he shews his sores if you mean to give him a penny and ask him if he have any money I have two-pence or threepence Sir saith he or a penny but he hides his excellency and he laies open his wounds and if he can but open his sores before you he thinks he doth beg effectually Beloved we all go to God in Prayer in forma Pauperis every man sues in this Court in the form of a Beggar If thy heart then be straightened if thy heart be hard and if thy Spirit be dull in duty you may go to God and open your sores and wounds before him you may go and say Lord what an hard heart have I and what a dull and straighâ—ened Spirit have I This father becomes a Begger and you must come as a Begger when you come before him yet you must know Etsi non sit possib le per ea moveri immobilem et per omniaque immutabilem Deum potentia enim mihi videatur esse ad movendum ipsum recitantem vel meditantem ipsa ad moveadum inquam et preparandum ad gratiam devotionis etâ— gratitudinis et largitatis et beneficentiae incogitabibis Dei Parisiens Cap. 22. de Rhetor Div. That neither your Poverty nor your Riches neither your straightenings in Duty nor your enlargements do make any alteration in the Mind and Will of God Indeed God seems to deal by us somtimes as a Father doth by his little Child he holds a piece
not therefore withdraw himself from them that he might draw them to himself Doth he not therefore hide his face for a moment that he may not turn his back upon them for ever Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment that they might die unto all the world and long after Heaven where there is no forsaking Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment that they might die unto the way of sence and learn to live by Faith which is the proper work of this Life Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment that in this Winter of their Desertion the Weeds and Vermin of their sins may be killed and mortified Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment that he may see their Love to him In time of his Presence we have the sence of his Love to us but in the time of his absence then he seeth and we our selves have the sence of our Love to him Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment that their very Joyes and Comforts may be more fervent exalted and enlarged It is our Nature to rejoyce most in a Comfort when it is redeemed from the hand of Death and recovered from loss The wise men when they saw the lost Star again then they rejoyced with exceeding great joy Did they not rejoyce i◠the Star before Surely they did But they rejoyced more even with exceeding great joy when they had found the lost Star And this is our Nature we rejoyce most in the finding of lost mercies Now the Lord Christ knows our Nature and therefore that he may raise our joy our praise our thankfulness for his Presence Face and Manifestation of his Love he doth somtimes withdraw them So that in al his withdrawings he hath a Design of Love upon our souls have we any reason then to be much discouraged though deserted Answ 3 Thirdly Though it pleaseth God to hide his Face from his People somtimes insomuch as they are in the dark and in a very dark Condition yet they are never so much in the dark but that they have light enough to work by For what day is there in all the yeer that is so short dark and gloomy but a man may see to work by Indeed somtimes the Sun is in the Eclipse somtimes behind a Cloud somtimes it breaks not forth with his Golden beams as at other times but if the Sun be up and it be day a man hath alwaies light enough to work by Now the Sun is alwaies up with the Saints it is alwaies day with them though the Beams of the Sun of Righteousness do not shine yet it is alwaies day they are not Children of darkness they may have a dark day of it but though it be never so dark they may find light enough to do the great Work which they came into the World for which is to beleeve and trust and stay themselves on God this ◠man may do in the darkest time when he hath no light and therefore saith the Prophet Let him that walks in darkness and seeth no light stay himself upon the Name of the Lord. What then though you have not so much light as you would have to refresh your selves by yet if you have light enough to do your Fathers Work by and the greatest work of this Life is to trust in God and beleeve have you then any reason for your discouragements Thus it is with al the Saints though they may be in the dark and the Sun shines not out upon them yet it is alwaies day with them and they have light enough when it is darkest to do their Father◠work and business by and therefore certainly the Saints have no reason to be cast down and discouraged although they be much forsaken deserted and in the dark Object 1 But Jesus Christ hath not only deserted forsaken and withdrawn himself from me in regard of Vision but I fear also in regard of Vnion not in regard of comfortable feelings only but in regard of strength and power and therefore I am afraid and discouraged and have I not cause for it Answ No. For a man that is in the dark is not able to judg of his own Grace or Christs Strength in him Now you are in Desertion therefore in the dark therefore not able to judg of your own Grace and Christs Strength in you yet if you can judg in this Condition and wil deal faithfully with your own souls is there not as much of Christs Strength and Grace in your Lives and Conversations as when ye had that presence which ye mourn after excepting your enlargements in Duties I confess indeed that ◠Gracious man in time of Desertion hath not those enlargements as he had when Gods Face shined upon him but setting aside your enlargements what is there in your Conversations wanting now which you had then and is the very want of enlargement a sufficient reason to say that Christ is gone and hath forsaken me not only in regard of Vision but in regard of Union Strength and Grace We read in Cant. 5.5 That when Christ withdraws from the Spouse there is some Mirrh left upon the ringles of the door the Spouse ariseth follows after him and enquireth for him saying Did you see my beloved She met with the Watchmen they smote her and she was willing to bear their smiting that she might hear of Christ she stands and admireth at the beauty and excellency of her Beloved White and ruddy the fairest of ten thousand Now in this Desertion of yours is there not some Mirrh upon the ringles of your heart Do you not still stand admiring Christ and his Excellencies Do you not enquire after your Beloved going to one and to another saying Did you see him whom my soul loveth Are you not willing that the Watchmen should smite you so ye may but meet with Christ again And wil ye say then he is not only gone in regard of Vision but in regard of Union Power Strength and Grace too Surely you have no reason for it Object 2 But I am not only forsaken and deserted and want the Comfortable feelings and manifestations of Love which I once had and do now desire to have but I do find the contrary tokens of Gods Displeasure manifestations of his Anger were it only the withdrawings of Love I might bear it but Christ is angry God is angry appears to be mine Enemy and have I not reason now to be much discouraged Answ No For if this hath been the condition of the Saints before you why should you fear your state in this respect Now look into Isay 57. and you shal 〈◊〉 that God saith I was wroth and smote him he did not only hide his face but he was wroth yea he is not only wroth but he smote his People too and yet the Promise is I will restore comfort to him and to his mourners Did not Job think and say that God was angry with him
and become his Enemy and did not Job's Friends think that God loved them and was their Friend and his Enemy yet if you look into Job 42. you find that God was more pleased with Job for he was fain to pray for them before they could be accepted and know ye not that it is Christs usual manner to personate an Enemy when he intends the most Friendship to seem a stranger when he intends the most communion It is said that God was angry with Moses Exod. 4. yet even then he gave him such a Promise of mercy as he had not before ver 14 15 16. Ye know what Davids choyce was Lord let me fall into thy hands and not into the hands of men for with thee is mercy It is somtimes a mercy to be immediately chastised by the hand of God our Father God might turn us over to the hands of men but if God wil take us into his own hand and chastise with his own hand immediately there is love in it If a Prince should say to his Officers My whol Kingdom is before you do right and execute Justice and Judgment but as for such and such a Family if they shall commit any fault I wil chastise them immediately with mine own hand you shal not meddle with them I wil do it my self would not this argue love Thus it is with the Saints in the time of Desertion then God takes the soul into his own hand all Creatures and Officers of his Anger stand by and meddle not in other Afflictions God turns us over to his Officers but in Desertion there he doth correct immediately and therefore though he strikes yet there is Love at the bottom and the more Christ doth sympathize with you in any Affliction the less cause you have to be discouraged Christ is our sympathizing High-Priest in al our Afflictions but the more we are like to him in any Affliction the more he doth sympathize and his heart let out the more unto us Jesus Christ was in Desertion himself and not only forsaken but for our sakes under the wrath and displeasure of God his Father and therefore when he sees a soul not only deserted but under anger and displeasure of God then he saith O! there is a soul that is in my case and so he does most commiserate and compassionate that person have you then any reason to be discouraged in this respect Object 3 But this is not my case For I am not only deserted forsaken under manifestations of Christs displeasure but I have sinned and drawn down this Desertion upon my own soul and therefore now it is that I am thus discouraged and have I not reason for it Answ No For God doth not alwaies desert and forsake his People for their sins somtimes he doth and somtimes he doth not as appears by comparing the 3d and 5th Chapters of the Canticles and it may be he doth now withdraw from you not for your sin and if there be but a may be of it there is no reason for discouragement But suppose it be so look I pray into Isay 57. again and see what the Lord hath promised to a poor soul in this condition ver 17. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart Wil ye say the Lord doth not only hide his fâ—ce from you but he hath smitten you So here Wil ye say O! but I have sinned and drawn this desertion upon my self So here For the iniquity of his Covetousness I was wroth and smote him Will ye say O! but I have sinned on both sides of this Desertion I have sinned before the Desertion came which sin was the cause of it and I have sinned since I have been deserted by my frowardness and peevish carriage So here For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and hid me there is sin on the one side and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart there is sin on the other side of Desertion Here is sin on both sides what then is there any hope or comfort or mercy for a heart in this condition Yes saith the Lord I will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners O! but it is not comfort that my soul desires but I have a foul filthy unclean wicked heart of mine own O! that my heart were healed Is there any hope of healing mercy in this condition Yes saith the Lord in the Text I have seen his waies and will heal him O! but though I be healed I shal sin again and wander from God again nay saith the Lord But I have seen his waies and will heal him and will lead him also But I see no means or likelihood of al this how can it be Yes very well for saith the Lord ver 19. I create the fruit of the Lips Peace peace peace to him that is afar off and I will heal him again O! what Comfort is here what an upholding Promise is here Can you read it or think of it and your heart sink before it Object 4 This is but part of my condition for I have sinned Christ hath forsaken me I have sinned Christ hath smote me and he goes on smiting goes on angry goes on displeased I have been deserted a long while in the dark a long while and I am so far from the light that it doth even grow darker and darker my condition being more sad every day than other every day I am more deserted and my condition worser have I not reason to be cast down and discouraged now Answ No For when was it worst with the Israelites They had an ill time of it al the while they were in the Land of Egypt a dark time but was it not worst with them immediately before their deliverance Did not the Task-Masters then beat them When was it worst with David ill at al times in the Wilderness but was it not worst with him at Ziklag when he had lost his Wives and his own men took up stones against him Psal 10. we read that David saith Why standest thou afar off O Lord and hidest thy self in the time of trouble hiding is more and worâ—er than standing afar off When the Sun is going down then it seems to be far off but when it is hidden then it is set and is further off So saith David Lord thou art not only afar off but even out of sight quite out of sight and art hidden from me his Desertion grew higher and higher And if you look into Psal 13. you find that he speaks to the like purpose How long wilt thou bide thy face from me how long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever As hiding is more than standing afar off so it is worse than forgetting For as Musculus observes wel forgetting is but Remissio amoris a man that loves another may forget him yet he may love him well but
toyled al their night or day and have caught nothing then no new thing doth befal you in case you want success Now ye know and have read how it was with Noah an hundred and twenty yeers he preached to the old World and not one soul was saved but his owâ—â—â—ily eight persons in the Ark. Did not Jeremiah also toyl in his day and night and what did he catch Read what he saies Jer. 6.29 The Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed of the fire the Founder melteth in vain for the wicked are not plucked away Reprobate Silver shall men call them Yea doth not Christ himself say Cogitent sibi hanc causam cum Christo communem esse Calvin Esai 49. I have labored in vain I have spent my strength for naught And do you think to fare better in this case than Noah Jeremiah Christ himself I confess the want of success in our work is a great Temptation even one of the greatest Temptations yet if God will have me lay out my strength in vain why should I be discouraged The good Physitian doth not lose his Fee though the Patient die nor shal you lose your Reward though ye have no success Object 7 Yet this is not the thing which doth trouble me for I acknowledg that I have been entrusted with many Services and God hath called me to them I have been willing thereunto and have had some good success but when I look into the Scripture I find that some have been employed in way of Judgment as Nebuchadnezzar others in way of Mercy as Nehemiah c. Some again have been employed in way of mercy to others as Cyrus and Judas but not in Love and Mercy to themselves Others have been employed in way of Mercy to themselves and others too as Paul and Peter c. Now I fear that either I have been employed in away of Judgment or that I have not been employed in a way of Love and Mercy to my self but for others and therefore I am thus discouraged and cast down have I not just cause and reason now Answ No For if God have employed you and trusted you in his Service in a way of Love and mercy to your self as wel as to others then you have no reason to be discouraged in this respect Now when doth God employ a man in a way of Love and Mercy to himself as wel as for others good When a mans heart is thereby drawn out with Love to God That which ends in Love comes from Love that which ends in your Love to God came from Gods Love to you So in outward Blessings if they end in your Love to God then they came from Gods Love to you So in the matter of Afflictions if I do love God the more by them then did they come from Gods Love to me So also in the matter of Employments if you do love God by them and they do end in your love to God then they came from Gods Love to you When God doth employ a man in his Service in a way of Love and Mercy to him then he doth more or less acquaint him with his design therein and if God do acquaint me with his design in his Work then he doth employ me in a way of Love to me He employed the Assyrian as a Rod in his hand to scourge the People of Israel but they knew not Gods Design they went on upon their own design therefore saith the Prophet Isaiah in the Name of the Lord Cap. 10.6 I will send him against an Hypocritical Nation howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so But it is in his heart to destroy Nations not a few The Lord employed Peter to open a door to the Gentiles in the Conversion of Cornelius and though he knew not Gods design at the first yet he did fully know it afterwards for saies he and the rest Now hath God also to the Gentiles granted Repentance unto Life When a man is employed in a way of special Love to his own soul he hath high thoughts of his Employment but low thoughts of his own actings under it therefore said John the Baptist I indeed baptize you with Water but there is one comes after me he shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire whose shoo-latchet I am unworthy to unloose But though the Employment of Corah Dathan and Abiram was good and honorable yet they had low thoughts thereof and high thoughts of their own actings Numb 16.3 for said they to Moses and Aaron Ye take too much upon you seeing all the Congregation are holy as if they should say we are as good as you Why so even because they were not employed in Mercie to their own souls but for others good He that is employed and used in a way of Love and Mercy is very tender of the Name of God and doth so act and work as the Name of God may not suffer or be defiled by him Thus it was with Ezra though the Enemy lay in his way to Judea yet he would not ask a Convoy of the King for saies he I was ashamed to require of the King a Band of Soldiers Ezra 8. and Hors-men to help us against the Enemy in the way because we had spoken to the King saying the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him and his wrath is against all them that forsake him Now Ezra was a good man a man that God did call forth to this Employment not only out of Love to others but to himself and thus did he act for God being more careful of Gods Name in the work than of their own safety When a man is employed in a way of Love and mercy to his own soul also then he doth grow in Grace whilst he is exâ—rcising of his Gift A man that exerciseth a Gift for the good of others only grows in Parts and in Pride also But a good man grows in Experience and so he doth grow in Faith he meets with difficulties and deliverances so he doth grow in Faith God discovers himself to him in the way so he stil grows in Faith Love and Holiness God gives him a Promise when he sends him forth as he did give â—o Joshua Chap. 1. this he looks much upon and goes forth in the strength of and so as he uses his Gift in his work he doth grow in gâ—ace thereby but the other doth not He makes no great ouâ—ward bargain of Gods Service neither doth he labor to pocket up much for himself God employed Moses in a great Work but where do you read of any great Estate that he got for himself We read of Joshua That when he had brought the Children of Israel into Canaan and divided the Land by Lot to them then when he had served others in the last place he did serve himself and that in no great matter What did Nehemiah get by his Service not as the former Governors
did Why Because he feared the Lord. So then if a man be employed in way of Love and Mercy to himself he doth not make his Employment a shooing-horn to his own Preferment 'T is enough for me my Masters work is done saith he neither doth God use to pay them al their wages here whom he employes in mercie to themselves But as the Merchant if he have to deal with a stranger for a less Commodity he paies him down presently but if with a friend for some great priced Commodity he takes time and doth not pay down his money presently So if God have to do with a stranger as Nebuchadnezzar he wil pay him wages presently but if God deals with a friend whom he employes in mercy to himself then he doth put off his ful payment til afterwards He doth Gods work without any great noise or notice of himself like Christ He lifts not up his voyce in the street and as the Angels in Ezek. 1. His hands are under his wings he hath four hands to work with but they are not seen they are under his wings Let your Light so shine before men saies Christ that they may see your good works not your selves and glorifie your Father not your selves As it is with the Fisher so with him he shews the bait but hides himself he holds forth the word of Truth but not himself though he have four hands to work with yet they are all under his wings hidden but saies Jehu Come and see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts This is another difference If God do use and Employ a man in a way of Love and Mercy to himself he is willing to be used and contented to be laid by and to 〈…〉 more Another man is not so if he have been used 〈…〉 â—ng he thinks he must be used in other things and 〈…〉 cannot bâ—ar it that God should lay him by and use anoâ—â— Thus iâ— was with Sâ—ul he could not be conteâ—◠〈…〉 should use David But when God told Eli that he 〈…〉 and his House by he answered Good is the Word of 〈◊〉 Lord for he was a good man and one whom God had â—sed 〈◊〉 Love and Mercie to himâ—elf and so when God had done wiâ—h him he was conâ—ent thereâ—â—th He thâ—t is â—red and eâ—ployed in way of Love and Mercie to himself wil do the Work oâ— the Loâ—dfully though he do his own works by halfs Caleb did his own work by halfâ— and the Work of God â—ully for he was used in Mercy to himself and others Jehu did the Work of the Lord by halfs and his own work fully for though he was uâ—ed in Mercy to some and Judgment to others yet not in Love to himself When God doth use a man in a way of Judgment he hath ordinarily more skil at pulling down and destroying what is mans than in setting up and building what is Gods But when God doth use him in a way of Love and Mercy to his own soul he hath a dexterity in and a heart to the setting up of what is Gods witness Jehu on the one hand and Nehemiah on the othâ—r hand How is it therefore with thee Hast thou a skil at pulling down what is mans and no skil nor heart to set up what is Gods Hast thou been employed and used in Gods Service and have you done your own work fully and Gods work by halfs Art thou not contented to be laid by and that God should use another Doest thou make a noise in the work and thy hands not under thy wings Hast thou made a goodly outward Bargain of the Lords Work and his Service as a shooing-horn to thine own ends Hast thou not grown in Experience Faith and Holiness by this work but in Pride rather Hast thou not been very tender of the Name of God in thy Service nor been acquainted with Gods Design nor thine heart drawn out the more to love the Lord Then surely God hath not used or employed thee in Love and Mercy to thine own soul But if thine heart have been drawn out with Love to God by thy very Service and Employments and thou hast been in some measure acquainted with Gods Design in that Service and hast been very tender of the Name of God and more willing to hazard thy self than to defile his Name and hast grown in Grace by the exercise of thy Gifts and hast made no Bargain of the Lords Service but hast had thy hands under thy wings and hast not done Gods Work by halfs and now after all art contented that God shall lay thee by and make use of others then surely the Lord hath used and employed thee in a way of Love and Mercie to thine own Soul and therefore why should'st thou be discouraged in this respect Certainly you have no just cause or true reason for it Quest But suppose that the Lord either shall not use me in his Service or if he do that difficulties and oppositions press in upon me or that I meet with no success in my work according to my desire what shall I do that I may be able to bear up my heart against all discouragements in this kind Answ 1 First In case that God do not cal you forth to any work or special Employment Then Consider that you have now the more time to mind your own soul and to attend to your own Condition Some are so employed that they have not time enough to pray read meditate examine their own hearts and to look into their own Condition yea though a mans work do lie in the Ministry 't is possible that he may so mind his publick work as to neglect his private But now if thou hast no publick Employment or Service then you have the more time for to spend upon your own soul the more time to converse with the Lord in private and to look into your own Condition And if you be not called forth to work and yet are willing to work you shal be paid for that work and service which you never did As some men shal be punished for those sins which they did never commit in the gross act because they were willing and had a desire to commit the same so some shal be paid for that work and service for God which they never did perform because they were willing to have done the same Now is it not a great mercy to be paid for that work which I never did Such is the Priviledg of al those that are not called to Service and yet are willing to it Answ 2 Secondly In case That you are employed in Gods Work and Service and difficulties press in upon you Then Consider That the greater the Difficultie is the greater shall your Obedience be in carrying on the Work and the more you do follow after Dutie and redeem it from the hand of Difficulty the greater shall your Comfort and reward be when all is done And the more that any Service Work or
we see nothing of the Mercy promised it 's no presumption then to hold and keep fast the Promise Quest But suppose the Lord hath given me a Promise and now after the Promise given I see nothing of the mercy promised and that all my Comforts are out of sight how shal I be able to bear up my heart against all Discouragements notwithstanding I see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised and to the mercy desired Answ Either thou hast assurance of Gods Love or else thou hast not If thou hast assurance of the Love of God then put thy self often to this disjunction O my soul either it is thy Duty to beleeve or it is not If it be not thy Duty to beleeve why dost thou beleeve at al If it be not thy Duty to beleeve and rest on Christ why dost thou rest upon Christ at al And if it be thy Duty to rest on Christ and beleeve why then should st thou not beleeve at al times and trust perfectly unto the Lord And if you have Assurance then actuate your Assurance mind your self of your Priviledges and your Interest in Christ then you wil say unto your self what though I have nothing but bad tidings from this world yet notwithstanding I have nothing but good tidings from the other world and from my Father above and if Christ be mine then al is mine Life is mine and Death is mine and what though al my Comforts be dead and are gone and are al out of sight yet Christ is a living Christ Christ is a living Savior and therefore be of good Comfort O my soul But if you do want assurance of the Love of God then yet you must and may look on Christ who is the Brazen Serpent the only Brazen Serpent and your very looking upon him in the time of your Discouragement shal go for Faith Look unto me â—aith he from all the ends of the Earth and be saved Again If you want Assurance you may and must turn your eye and your thoughts from those Objections that do invade your Faith 'T is said of Abraham That he considered not the weakness of his own Body and this was imputed unto him for beleeving that he considered not what might invade his Faith And so this shal be imputed unto you for Faith if when these Objâ—ctions shal come in upon you you turn your Eye from them unto Jesus Christ and do not consider them And if you do want Assurance then set your selves to beleeve that you do beleeve Faith is the Evidence of thâ—n â—s not seen and therefore if your Faith be not seen you must beleeve that you do beleeve thou â—ust beleeve somtimes that thou hast Faith As there is a feeling in Prayer so Faith haâ—h it's feeling too and therefore iâ— you cannot see your Faith you must beleeve that you do beleeve And whether you have Assurance or have not Assurance consider these few things as some Helps to your Faith in this case First That God doth never lead his People unto any great Mercy but first he doth put the Sentence of Dâ—ath upon al the means that do rend unto it Thus it was with Abraham so with Joseph so with David and many others Secondly That it iâ— a great sin to liâ—â—t â—ods Mercy as wel as to limit his Power You say it is a great sin to limit the Power of God the Children of â—â—rael are condeâ—â—ed for this they limited the Holy One of Iâ—rael they tempted the Lord and limited the Holy One of Israel Now dâ—â—h not a man limit God when he limits his Mercy as wel as when he limits his Power And when you say you shal never have such a mercy granted because I now see the contrary is not this to limit his Mercy Thirdly That when the Lord hath given out a Promise to his People he doth then somtimes try whether they wil trust to his naked Word or no. Christ hath his times to try men and when he gives out a Promise and bringeth the soul into a quite contrary condition this is his trying time And therefore hath the Lord now given out a Promise unto you and do you see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised Say unto thine own soul O my soul it may be Christ is now trying of me it may be this is my trying time and therefore now wil I wait on God Fourthly That God doth oftentimes fulfil one Promise by denying another Hath the Lord therefore given thee a Promise and doest thou see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised Now know and remember That we have by not having God doth give by denying and fulfils some Promises by not fulfilling others Fiftly That when we see nothing but what is contrary unto our help then is Christs time to help I read as I remember but twice in the new Testament that mention is made of Christs Hour once in John 13. And he knowing that his hour was coming and that was the hour of darkness Once in John 2.4 when his Mother came unto him for Wine he said Woman my hour is not yet come But afterwards when their own Wine was done and their pots were fill'd with Water then he turns their Water into Wine then Christs hour was come So now when al our Bottles are dry when there is no Wine of Comfort in our own Bottles then is Christs hour and when the hour of darkness is upon our Condition then is Christs hour And if thou would'st but say so unto thine own soul Soul Christs time and hour is an hour of darkness Christs time is a time when there is no Wine in our own Bottles Now thus it is with me I have no Wine left in my own Bottles my Bottles are al dry and empty and there is an hour of darkness upon my Condition therefore this time is the time for Christ to help me This would cause you to wait on God and exercise Faith in the lowest Condition even when you see nothing but the contrary unto your desires and the Lords Promises Sixtly That either you are under an extraordinary Affliction or an ordinary Either you are under an ordinary Temptation or an extraordinary Either you are under an extraordinary Desertion or an ordinary Either thy streit or stress and trouble is ordinary or else it is extraordinary If it be an ordinary trouble why then are you troubled more thâ—n ordinary why are you discouraged extraordinarily If your Affliction or Misery be extraordinary then either God hath brought you into this condition and hath led you heretofore in a way of extraordinary deliverance or of ordinary deliverance if God have led you heretofore in a way of ordinary deliverance what means those wonderful incomes of Love and supporting Grace that you have had when your soul have been ready to sink and to die within you And if the Lord hath heretofore led you in a way of extraordinary deliverance and
a dispersed People Be it so yet your Sufferings are but a Modicum a little 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in regard of measure and time and after you have thus suffered a little and a little while the God of al Grace wil restore stablish strengthen and settle you This have I prayed for you So that the Doctrine from the Verse is this DOCT. It is a great Blessing of God and worthy of all our Prayer to be Established and Setled in the Truth and Good Waies of God Setling Grace and Mercy in opposition both to outward and inward trouble is a great Mercy and well worth praying for It is a great Mercy and Blessing to be outwardly setled The Apostle speaks here in reference to that opposition and hatred which they met with from the world in scattering them as a People and as a Church for saith he verse 9. Be stedfast in the Faith knowing that the same Afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the world As also in reference to those Temptations of Satan which they labored under for saith he verse 5. Your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he may devour So that I say 1 It is a great Mercy for a Nation and State to be setled 2 A Mercy and great Blessing for a Church to be setled 3 A great Blessing and Mercy for a Particular Soul to be setled in the good VVaies of God First It is a great Mercy and Blessing for a Nation or Kingdom to be in a setled Estate and Condition outwardly for it is the Mercy promised and promised Mercies are no smal Mercies Now the Lord promiseth to his People when he deals with them in a way of Mercy to settle and establish them Jer. 24.6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good and I will bring them again to this land and I will build them and not pull them down and I wil plant them and not pluck them up So chap. 32. verse 37. And I will cause them to dwel safely yea verse 41. I will rejoyce over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whol heart and with my whol soul This also was that Mercy which the Lord Promised to David 2 Sam. 7.16 But thine House and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee and thy Throne shal be established for ever And if ye look into 2 Chron. 9.8 ye shal find that this establishing of a Nation or Kingdom is both a sign and a fruit of Gods Love Blessed be the Lord thy God said the Queen of Sheba to Solomon which delighteth in thee to set thee on his Throne to be King for the Lord thy God because thy God loved Israel to establish them for ever therefore made he thee King over them c. On the other side when God is angry with a People then he pours a Spirit of Giddiness and Perversness on them that they run to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are as the Leaf shaken with every wind 1 Kings 14.15 The Lord threatens Israel to smite them as a reed is shaken in the water because they had made them Groves provoking the Lord to anger A great Judgment then it is to be shaken like a reed in the Water This also is a Fruit of Gods Anger and when a People are in this posture it argues that God hath smitten them in his Anger But when may a People be said to be thus smitten as a Reed shaken in the Water Even then when they are driven to and fro with every wind when they are easily moved and put by their Station Sicut solet moveri arundo in aqua Scilicet quia arundines faciliter moventur in aqua quocunque vento impellente aut levi aquarum decursu ita Israell incideret ìn magnas calamitates et Deus faceret cum tam passibilem ut à quocunque insurgente contra eum posset percuti Abulens in Loc. so that any one that rises up against them may afflict them and lay them low And if this unsetled shaking Condition be a great Judgment upon a Nation or People then surely the contrary is a great Mercy it is a great Blessing indeed for any Kingdom or Nation to be in a setled Estate and Condition Secondly As it is a Mercy and Blessing for a Nation to be settled and established so for the Church of God For when the Church hath this rest then it is edified walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost Acts 9.31 Establishment is the Mercy promised to the Church also Esai 2.2 It shall come to pass in the last daies that the Mountain of the Lords House shall be established in the top of the Mountains What is more setled on Earth than a Mountain The House of the Lord shal be as a Mountain upon the Mountains in the last daies great shal be the glory of the latter Daies As the Sins and Apostacies of the latter Daies shal be the greatest Sins and Apostacies so the Glory of the Churches shal be the greatest in the last daies And the Establishment of the Churches is not only promised but promised as part of the Glory of the latter Times It is that Mercy and Blessing which the Apostles labored for continually 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fâ—rst they took a great deal of pains to convert and bring men home to God being converted the Apostles then formed them into several Churches and Churches being planted then their great work and business was to Establish them Acts 14.21 And when they had preached the Gospel to that City or had Gospellized that City and had taught many or had Discipled many or those that were sit and worthy they returned again to Lystra to Iconium and Antioch confirming the souls of the Disciples and exhorting them to continue in the Faith c. This they also prayed for and therefore as the Apostle Peter shuts up his Epistle with this Prayer for the dispersed Christian-Jews so the Apostle Paul doth close up his Epistle to the Corinths with the same desire and Prayer for them 2 Cor. 13. And this also we wish even your perfection verse 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Rom. 16.25 he concludes thus Now to him that is of power to establish you c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the Apostle Paul useth two of these four words that are used by Peter The closing wish doth alwaies fal upon some precious mercy And as it is the Mercy prayed for so somtimes it is made the Signal Mercy whereby the Church is declared to be the Church of Christ Whose House ye are saith the Apostle to the Hebrews if you hold fast the Confidence of your rejoycing stedfast to the end An House is setled fixed and established a Tent is removable but an House is not so unworthy are those of the Name of the House
to an ordinary Office 1. He must be apparently Godly 2. He must be qualified for preaching 3. He must be chosen or desired by the Church 4. He must be separated to the work of the Ministry ibid. II. For the Doctrine Teachers may and must be tried by their Doctrine ibid. Particular Doctrines men must be tryed by are many I will name some few ib. 1 True Apostles ever exalted the Scriptures Page 414 2 True Apostles never denied the Deity of Christ ibid. 3 True Apostles never did deny Ordinances ibid. 4 True Apostles preached for Justification by faith and imputed righteousness in opposition to works Page 415 5 They never told us that there is a light in every man which followed wil bring him to Salvation ibid. 6 They never preached that any man might be perfect and without sin in this life ibid. 7 True Apostles never preached against respect unto Magistrates Parents Masters Page 416 8 True Apostles never preached against the resurrection and assention of the Body ibid. 9 The Apostles never preached that there is no place of Heaven or Hell after death ib. III. A Teacher may and must be tried by his Life and Fruits Page 417 Quest If they go in Sheeps Cloathing how shall I know they are Wolves ibid. Answ Yes 1 A Wolf is a Wolf in Sheeps cloathing for he is fierce and cruel Page 417 2 He howls at the Sheep and barks at the Shepheards ib. 3 He rends the Sheep Page 418 Quest What fruits doth our Savior mean we must know them by ibid. Answ 1 If you find they walk after the flesh ibid. 2 If they are given to lying ib. 3 If the height of their Religion be to maintain some Opinion that consists in voluntary Humility ibid. 4 If their Doctrine tends to draw men away from the Ordinance of God ibid. 5 If he fals short of him he would seem to be yet in shew goes beyond him ibid. 6 If you find that his great work is to destroy the Church of Christ Page 419 7 If he forsake the Assemblies of the Saints ibid. 1 It is the special work of Church Officers to try and discover false Teachers ibid. 2 It is a work incumbent upon all the Saints and Churches ib. More practically 1 Go to God for a spirit of discerning Page 420 2 Lie in no sin or Error for all sin blinds ibid. 3 Consult with others about it ibid. 4 Keep close to the Scripture ibid. 5 Have not too great charity towards an Opinion of such as are accounted false Teachers ibid. 6 Wait long before you close with any of their Opinions that you may not be deceived ibid. The Good and Means of Establishment ON 1 Pet. 5.10 Different Opinions how these words aâ—e spoken Page 425 The Authors Opinion Page 426 The words divided into 1 A Blessing prayed for 2 The Arguments ensuing it 1 The Blessing prayed for is expressed in four words Perfect Stablish Strengthen Settle you ibid. DOCT. Settling Grace in respect of all trouble is a great Mercy and Blessing Page 428 1 It is a great mercy for a Nation to be setled 2 It is a great mercy for a Church to be setled 3 It is a great mercy for a particular soul to be setled I. The first part proved by Scriture Page 429 II. The Second part proved by five Arguments Page 429 1 When the Church hath this settlement then it is edified 2 It is the mercy God hath promised to the Church Page 430 3 It is that the Apostles labored for ibid. 4 That they prayed for ibid. 5 It is somtimes the signal mercy of Christs Church ibid. III. The third part proved by five Arguments Page 431 1 It is the ground of all our fruitfulness ibid. 2 It is the bottom of all our praises Page 432 3 It is the beginning of our perseverance ibid. 4 It is that good thing which pleaseth God exceedingly ib. 5 It is the Character of a gracious person Page 433 The second part of the Doctrine It is worthy of all our pâ—ayers For Page 434 1 It is that mercy we all need 2 God only can settle us Page 435 Application How great cause have they that arâ— settled to praise God ibid. Object I find not this settlement therefore I cannot praise God Page 436 Answ It may be so yet there is much difference between variety of Grace and instability of Spirit ibid. 2 If Establishment be so great a Blessing how sad is their condition that are not established ibid. Quest What shall we do that we may be established Page 437 Answ I. For a Nation ib. 1 It must first settle Religion 2 There must be care â—aken for a succession of Godly Magistrates ibid. 3 They must do and govern in Righteousness Page 438 4 They must trust in the Lord. ibid. II. For a Church Page 439 1 All Churches must know that they are laid out for sufferings ibid. 2 A Church that would be setled must have al the Officers and Ordinances of Christ. 3 Let all Churches know and keep the word of Gods Patience ibid. 4 If difficulty arise in a Church it must call for help from other Churches Page 440 5 Especially al Churches must pray for this mercy of Establishment ibid. III. Particular Persons what they must do for this mercy ibid. Quest 1. What shall I do to be more setled in my Judgment and in the Truth Page 442 Answ 1 Get a cleer understanding in the truth of the Gospel ibid. 2 Take heed of unsetling Principles Page 443 3 Make no Impression the Rule and Square of your Judgment ibid. 4 Get into Gods House Page 444 5 Go not into the company of those where false Doctrine is taught ibid. 6 Practice what Truth you know Page 444 7 Go to God for his establishing Grace Page 445 Quest 2. What shal I do to be more setled in my practice ibid. Answ 1 You must be very sensible and humbled for your own unsetledness ibid. 2 Labor for a serious Spirit ib. 3 Live not on your Condition alone but upon the God of your Condition ibid. 4 Take heed of a divided heart Page 446 5 Put on the whol Armor of God ibid. 6 The more you delight in Gods waies the more will your heart be established Page 447 Rules to make the way to Heaven sweet and easie to a man ibid. 1 Do not separate between Gods Commandement and his Promise ibid. 2 Apply your self to Gods work according to Gods Method ibid. 3 Improve that variety which God hath given you ibid. 4 Do not stint your self in any Duty as to go no further Page 448 5 Naturallize Gods Gifts in your soul ibid. 7 Motives to establish a man in the waies of God ibid. 1 Free yourself from temptations ibid. 2 The fixation of your soul is a great honor to your Profession Page 449 3 You shall thereby rejoyce the hearts of those that are set over you in the Lord ibid. 4 You have been
one thing to cite Scripture and another thing to take heed thereunto The Devil cited Scripture to our Savior Christ but he did not take heed unto it as to his Rule of life If we take heed thereto then we shal be kept and preserved by it even from the power of that darkness which we may labor under And thus now I have done with the Fourth General Thing propounded and have cleered the Doctrine Applic. 1 If this Doctrine be true then what cause have we to bless God and not to despise Humane Learning Mistake not I shal not go about to preach up Humane Learning in the Church of God but though I do not preach up the Excellency of Meat Drink and Cloathing or outward Blessings yet I may cal upon you and my self not to despise the same but to bless God for them So though I do not preach up the excellency of Humane Learning yet I may cal upon you and my self not to despise the same but to bless God for it For if Scripture-Light be so excellent a Light and the Word of God written that whereunto we are all to take heed then what a Mercy and Blessing is it that this Word and Scripture is translated into the English Tongue it was not first written in English but in Hebrew and Greek it could not have been brought forth into English but by the help of Humane Learning and wil ye then deâ—pise Humane Learning and not bless God for it O! ye wanton hearts remember how the poor Martyrs in Queen Maries time did bless God for the English Translation and how could that be without Humane Learning Then let us bless God for it and not despise it Applic. 2 If this Doctrine be true viz. That Scripture-Light is so great a Light which al are to take heed unto then what a sad condition are those in who do deny and forsake the Scripture they are in the dark indeed I confess a good man may be tempted as to other sins so to this To doubt of the Truth of the Scripture But do I hear a man that hath been a Professor one that hath known God and his Waies one that is under no Temptation Do I hear such an one denying the Scripture as any Rule to him Write that man Childless write him Faithless without Christ and without God in this World Ah! poor soul here is one whose Foundations are plucked up twice dead plucked up by the roots O! the sad condition of this poor Creature he hath forsaken the Light and now is under the power of darkness Whither should he go for he hath left the words of Eternal life yet Lord how many have these times brought forth that are come to this height of wickedness But beloved I do not only hope but am assured better things of you only hear the word of Exhortation and that is Applic. 3 Take heed and attend to the Scriptures for they are our great and most sure Light whereunto ye do wel if ye take heed as unto a Light shining in a dark place O! then take heed thereunto Quest What must we do that we may take heed and attend unto Scripture Answ Ye must do three things 1. Ye must attend to know and understand it 2. Ye must attend to keep it 3. And ye must attend to walk by the same And First For your knowledg in and understanding of the Scripture and the written Word of God ye must Observe keep and hold fast the Letter of it for though the Letter of the Scripture be not the Word alone yet the Letter with the true sense and meaning of it is the Word The Body of a Man is not the Man but the Body and Soul together make up the whol man the Soul alone or the Body alone is not the Man So here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in lego sine Scripturis non est litera a qua non pendent magni montes Doctrinarum Rabbim though the Letter of the Scripture alone do not make up the Word yet the Letter and sense together do and if ye destroy the Body ye destroy the Man so if ye destroy the Letter of the Scripture you do destroy the Scripture and if you deny the Letter how is it possible that you should attain to the true sense thereof when the Sense lies wrapped up in the Letters and the words thereof Object But if I attend to the Letter in my Practice then I shall be a Professor of the Letter and if a Preacher do attend to the Letter then he shall be a Minister of the Letter Answ Not so For when the Apostle saith We are not Ministers of the Letter but of the Spirit his meaning plainly there is not of the Law but of the Gospel for in that 2 Cor. 3. he cals the Ministration of the Law the Letter and the whol Ministration of the Gospel the Spirit Those therefore that preach or walk according to the Ministration of the Law are Ministers and Professors of the Letter those that preach or walk according to the Ministration of the Gospel are Ministers and Professors of the Spirit And therefore those that depart from and despise the Ministration of the Gospel do depart from and do despight to the Spirit It 's one thing for a man to keep the Letter of the Scripture so as not to deny the same another thing to keep to the Letter only for the meaning of it It 's one thing to preach from the Letter another thing to preach the Letter Our Lord and Savior Christ when he expounded that Esai 61. as ye read Luke 4. did not preach the Letter yet he preached from the Letter So now we may preach from the Letter of the Scripture yet not preach the Letter or be Ministers of the Letter and you may practice the Word from the Letter of the Scripture and yet not be Professors of the Letter that is of the Law and the Ministration of it Quest How can we hold and keep fast the Letter of the Scripture when there are so many Greek Copies of the New Testament and those diverse one from another Answ 1 Yes well For though there are many received Copies of the New Testament yet there is no material difference between them The four Evangelists do vary in the Relation of the same thing yet because there is no contradiction or material variation we do adhere to al of them and deny none In the times of the Jews before Christ they had but one Original of the Old Testament yet that hath several readings there is a Marginal reading and a Line reading and they differ no less than eight hundred times the one from the other yet the Jews did adhere to both and denied neither Why Because there was no material difference And so now though there be many Copies of the New Testament yet seeing there is no material difference between them we may adhere to all
way of beleeving and then Christ wil give you more Ye know how it was with Nathaniel When Nathaniel beleeved upon what Christ had spoken saies Christ unto him Beleevest thou because I said unto thee I saw thee under the Fig-tree I wil shew thee greater things thou shalt see the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man So wil the Lord Christ say to a poor soul I have spoken a word unto thee and I gave thee a little peace and doest thou beleeve because of the word I have spoken unto thee thou shalt see greater things and I wil give thee abundance of peace Look into Isa 48. vers 18. and there you shal find the Lord speaking thus O that thou hadst hearkened to my Commandements then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the Sea When the Lord speaks and cals upon people to beleeve if then they do hearken to him then shal their peace be like a river And when does the Lord cal in a special manner upon people to beleeve When he gives out a word and when he gives them a little peace then he is calling upon them to beleeve now return and now beleeve saies the Lord. Ye know how it was with Eliah when they wanted rain and had wanted rain for a long time Eliah sends his servant towards the Sea to see if he could perceive any rain coming and Eliah fals down upon his face in prayer his servant goes but no sign of rain he goes again and no sign of rain and the seventh time Eliah's servant perceives a cloud of the bigness of an hand and he comes down unto his Master and tells him he had seen a cloud the bigness of a mans hand Whereupon Eliah concludes and saies Come let us up I hear the noise of many waters So say I you have been upon your face and have been much discouraged yet if you have been at prayer and a little refreshment comes though it be but the bigness of an hand yet conclude and say surely there is more rain a coming Come O my soul Why art thou cast down and why art thou disquieted within me hope in God and wait on him I hear abundance of rain a coming When our Savior Christ sometimes speaks peace he doth at the first speak by a smal word and if that be improved then he speaks more Ye know how it was with Mary she was at the Sepulcher and had been enquiring after her Lord and saies she to the Angells they have taken away my Lord and the Angells talked â—o her and could not comfort her But at last comes our savior Christ and he speaks to her and then she was comforted But what does he say to her onely one word Mary so when a man is in trouble the Lord comes sometimes and speaks but a word he takes a promise it may be and sets on a word thereof upon the soul and the heart answers Rabboni my Lord. Doth the Lord therefore speak but one word unto thee yet stir up thy self in beleeving and hearken to him for he wil speak yet more fully and playnly onely when he speaks listen hearken diligently unto him and improve what he sayth so shal your peace be as a River and your righteousnes as the Ocean And thus I have done with the first Argument TRUE PEACE MAY BE INTERRUPTED Sermon II. PSALM 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul Stepney April 23. 1648. and why art thou disquieted within me c. Doct. 2 IT is possible that the Saints and People of God may be much discouraged and cast down Though there be an inward Peace and quietness of Soul which they are ordinarily indued with yet possibly this Peace may be interrupted and themselves much discouraged and cast down Here are two words in the Text speak as much Cast-down Disquieted And three times in this Psalm the Psalmist saith His Soul was cast down within him yet this David was a man of great Peace and Comfort ordinarily And as with David so it was is and will be with other Saints This is so ordinary a case that â—he Holy Ghost hath provided a standing Psalm or Prayer on purpose for such as are in this condiâ—â—on Psalm 102. the Title A Prayer or Psalm of the afflicted when he is over-whelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. In Psal 119.25 he saith My belly cleaves to the dust and that is low indeed And vers 28. My soul melteth for heaviness I am not only sad and heavy but my soul melteth for heaviness Canticles 5. The Spouse saith Her heart was gone or my soul failed within me And if we look into Psalm 143. we find at the 4. vers that the Psalmist saith My Spirit is over-whelmed and my heart within me is desolate What do all these expressions high great and many speak but this Truth that is now before us For the more full cleering and opening of it I shall labor to shew First How far it is possible for a good man to be discouraged or cast down Secondly How it doth come to pass that he is so discouraged Thirdly How those Discouragements can stand with his Grace and goodness Fourthly How they may be healed and cured Quest 1 And First If you ask How far the Discouragements of the Saints may reach For will some say I know it is possible that the most gracious holy man may be much discouraged but not with such discouragments as mine are Answ 1 I Answer What are yours Are you so far disquieted discouraged cast down as to refuse the word promise or consolation that is brought unto you So far may the discouragments of the Saints extend Psal 77. vers 3. I remembred God and was troubled He doth not say I remembred my sin and was troubled but God Yea I was not onely troubled but I did complain and my spirit was overwhelmed within me But when the promise came and mercy came and comfort came did he refuse that too yes vers 2. my soul refuseth to be comforted Answ 2 Secondly Are you so far discouraged disquieted cast down that your very body feeleth the smart of your discouragements that you do not onely refuse the promise and al comfort for your soul but even for your body Then look into Psal 102. and see if your case may not be paralleld vers 4. My heart is smitten and withered like grass so that I forget to eate my bread vers 5. By reason of the voice â—f my groaning my bones cleave to my skin vers 6. I am like a Pelican of the wilderness and I am like an Owl of the desâ—rt vers 9. I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drink with weeping vers 10. Because of thine indignation and thy wrath for thou hast lifted me up and cast me down vers 11. My dayes are like a shadow that declineth and I am withered like grass O! but I am not
onely so far discouraged as to refuse comfort for soul and body but my soul refuseth Duty and casts off Duty too for the present Answ 3 Thirdly therefore It is possible that a good and gracious mans discouragments may extend thus far too You wil think it strange that I find an instance for this in that holy man Jeremiah yet if you look into Jer. 20.7.8 and 9. verses you find it made good Indeed saith he The word was as fire in my bones and I could not forbear But for the time he did resolve to forbear preaching in the name of God which was his duty which he had commission to do for saies he I wil not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name This Holy Gracious man was under temptation he was much discouraged and thereupon he said so Yet verse 13. he saith Sing to the Lord praise the Lord for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evil doers But then mark the next words Cursed be the day wherein I was born let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my Father saying A man child is born to thee What a sudden change was here even in the best of the Saints from incouragments to discouragements O! but I have not only cursed the day of my birth as Jeremie and wished that I had never been born But I am weary of my life and have sought after mine own death and was there ever any Godly Gracious man that was thus discouraged and cast down Answ 4 Yes What think you of Job I was weary of my life Job 10.1 And in the 3. Job pouring out his complaint in regard of himself he saith vers 20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life to the bitter in soul vers 21. Which long for death but it cometh not and dig for it more than for hid treasures Now ye know that those which dig for Gold and Silver dig industriously and earnestly Thus it is with me saies Job I am so afflicted and distressed and in such bitterness of soul that I long for death and dig for it as for hid treasures O! what a mighty deep of discouragments may the Saints and people of God fal into and yet be Godly Gracious Quest 2 But why doth God suffer his own people and dearest children to be thus discouraged and their peace to be interrupted I know wil some say that al our present joy and comfort is but a creature and so may be ecclipsed and that Satan is near unto the best of Gods children thrusting and pushing them forward into these discouragments that they may be like unto himself who is a discouraged Spirit Answ Sic verus justitiae Sol nonnunquam oritur ad nos accedit a liquando rursus a nostro climaâ—e aberrat utrumque tamen benesicium nostrum est Frumentum in Terram jactum eget aliquo tempore ut congelatur induretur aliquo etiam ut molliatur neutrum illi obest utrumque nâ—cessarium est unum ut crescat alterum ut Radices agat Granat but why will God suffer it to be so In General It is for their good for their good they have and for their good they do want their Peace and Comfort The Star which led the wise men to Christ did not alwaies go before them but somtimes it appeared somtimes it was hidden from them but both appearance and hiding was for their benefit its first appearance invited them to Christ and its withdrawance made them more diligent in seeking after him So when Christ hid himself from his Mother Mary she sought him the more and when she found him she rejoyced the more but both his absence and his presence her fear and her comfort was for her good for his absence did encrease and draw out her desires and his presence did encrease and draw out her joyes When God is absent from us then we have testimonies of our Love to God by our desires after him and when he is present then we have testimonies of his Love to us by the shines of his Countenance so that whether God shines or not whether we have comfort or not both is for our good Thus in the General but yet more Particularly First Ye know it is Gods way and manner to deal with the Children of men according to their own dispositions to stoop and condescend unto their infirmities Therefore saies the Prophet Hosea Hos 11.4 He draws us with the Cords of a man Now it is mans disposition to come to God at the second hand So long as man can find a fulness in any Creature he comes not to God but first he sees an emptiness in the Creature Duty and Ordinance and then he saies O what a fulness is in God himself in Christ himself 1 Tim. 5.5 The Widdow that is desolate trusteth in God though a Widdow yet if not desolate somtimes she would not trust and therefore God suffers a desolation to come upon her Widdowhood When Davids men took up stones to have stoned him then the Text saies He encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 So long as man hath encouragement els-where he doth not encourage himself in the Lord his God This being mans Nature and God having a design of Love upon his own Children he suffers a damp and discouragement to pass upon all their Comforts their Peace to be interrupted their hearts disquieted and their souls discouraged that so they may encourage themselves in God alone Secondly This inward Peace and quietness of soul is so great a Commodity that God would have the price to be inhanced and raised Common and ordinary blessings once lost and found again are extraordinary It is a common and ordinary mercy that a man sits in his Shop and walks up and down in his Trade but if he be sick a while lose his health and not able for five or six weeks to look into his Shop if then he can get down but one day O saies he what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is it that I should go down again Thus the interruption of an ordinary blessing does raise it to an extraordinary So long as a man hath his health and strength though he be able to travel forty fifty three-score miles a day he is not much affected therewith but if he be sick a little and at deaths door and then begins to recover though he can but put forth his Hand or stir his Leg he blesses God and saies O Friends I can stir my self in my bed I can move my Hand or my Leg what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is this So in this caie So long as a man hath inward Peace and quietness of soul without interruption he looks upon it as a common mercy and blessing but if his Peace be a little interrupted and his soul buffeted by Satan
the Lord doth not onely give forth encouragement in time of discouragement and proportion his encouragements unto our discouragements but he doth make your discouragements occasional rises and bottoms unto your incouragements and comforts The Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam and then he took a Rib from his side wherewith he made a help for him so doth God cause a deep sleep to come upon you in your discouragements out of which he taks a Rib and â—uilds up a help for you making the discouragements of the Saints to contribute to their very incouragements Hosea 2.14 Behold saith the Lord I wil allure her that is the Church his people and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her and I wil give her her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a door of hope But a wildernessed condition is a lost condition and what comfort can one have in a lost condition True saith God ye cannot in and by your selves but there I wil speak friendly and comfortably to her and of al the times that I chuse to preach Gospel to a poor soul I chuse to do it in a wildernessed and lost condition But though the Lord do speak comfortably to us if we be in a wilderness a dry barren place where no food nor comfort is how can we be but discouraged Nay saith the Lord but I wil give her her vinyards from thence But if we sin murmur in the wilderness as the Israelites did the Lord wil cut us off as he did them a wilderness is a place of trouble wherein we are apt to murmur be discouraged Nay saith the Lord but I wil give her her vinyards from thence and the vally of Achor for a door of hope The valley of Achor was the valley of Perturbation trouble and of great discouragement when the men of Israel sled and fel before the men of Ai for the sin of Achan Joshua 7. vers the last yet it was an in-let to the Land of Canaan to the Land of rest Now saith the Lord look as it was with them though the Valley of Achor was a Valley of Trouble and Perturbation yet it was the door by which the Israelites came into the Land of Rest So shall it be with you I will make your Troubles and Discouragements the very door of your Hope the Valley of your Discouragements shall be the door and an in-let unto all your Rest and Comfort God takes the same way with the Members as he went with the Head Christs Cross an in-let of Glory his suffering time was the Valley of Achor to his Disciples and was it not a door of Hope unto them and unto all the Saints This is Gods way Discouragements bring Encouragements and the more Discouragements the Saints have the more Encouragements they shall have yea their Discouragements shall contribute to their Encouragements and be a door of Hope to them Now if the Valley of Achor shall by Promise be a door of Hope why should we be discouraged whatsoever the Valley of Achor be whatever our condition be Answ 5 A praying man can never be very miserable whatever his condition be for he hath the Ear of God the Spirit within to indite a friend in Heaven to present and God himself to receive his desires as a Father 't is a mercy to pray though I never have the mercy prayed for thereby God doth come down to us and we go up to God It is the souls Converse with God on Earth and a great ease to a burdened troubled Spirit for thereby he may go and empty all his heart into the bosom of his best friend Now every godly gracious man is a praying man more or less he prayeth It 's spoken as an Argument of Pauls â—onverâ—ion Behold he prayeth as Speech is common unto all men so Prayer unto all Christians God hath none of his Children born dumb as soon as one of your children is born it cries and it sucks and it â—lâ—eps So with every man that is born of God as sooâ—â—s â—e is both he cries unto God in Prayer he sucks the breast of â—he Promi e and he sleeps in the bosom of God by Divine Contentmentâ— beiâ—g dead unto all the world it may be he cannot pray as 〈◊〉 would but though he cannot pray as he would not hear as hâ—â—â—uld nor perform any duty as he would yet he prayeth it may be said of him behold he prayeth turn him where you will and behold he prayeth sick yet behold he prayeth tempâ—ed yet behold he prayeth at home or abroad yet behold he prayetâ— and can he be miserable while he prayeth Surely no why then should he be discouraged whatever his condition be Answ 6 If the matter of the Saints discouragements be but a cloud that wil blow over and melt away then no reason for their Discouragements whatsoever their condition be Now thus it is with the People of God though they be in a dark and very dark condition yet their darkness is but the darkness oâ— a cloud and as he said Nichecula est cito transibit it is but a cloud it wil soon over So may they say concerning every matter of their discouragement it is dark indeed but this darkness will over there is a storm comes down upon us but we shall see Land again the Shore again it is but a cloud but a cloud And upon this account David comforted his own heart here and checkt his soul for his immoderate dejection Why aâ—t thou cast down c. Hope in God For I shall yet praise him I shal be delivered this cloud will oveâ— it will not last it is but the darkness of a cloud Quest But how shall it appear that it is â—ut a cloud and the darkness of a cloud I think it is night and dark night with my soul yea such a night as shall never know morning indeed if I did know that the matter of my discouragement were but a cloudy darkness then I would conclude and say there is no reason for this discouragement but how shall I know whether this darkness be the darkness of a cloud or of the night Answ 1 First If the darkness be such as comes immediately after the rising and shining forth of the Promise then it is but the darkness of a cloud not of the night the Sun doth not rise to set immediately and therefore if darkness comes immediately after Sun-rising it is certainly the darkness of an Eclipse or of a Cloud not of the night There was a fair Promise rose and shined upon Joseph when the Lord said That his Sheaf should be higher than all the Sheaves of his Bâ—â—thren yet presently after that there arose a darkness upon him but iâ— was the darkness of a cloud and not of the â—igh 〈◊〉 why so Because he had a Promise first which did shâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—m So David had a fair Promise of the Kingdom whâ—â—
to her Verse 13. Strengthen the things that remain and are ready to die I have not found thy Works perfect So that though your Grace be weakened and that by your own sin insomuch as all seems to be ready to die yet there is a Promise belonging to such a condition and therefore no just cause or reason for Discouragement though much cause of Humiliation Object But I am not discouraged at the weakness of my Grace because of mine own guiltiness only but because of its likeness and similitude unto common Grace I know that it is a contradiction to say That a little Grace is no Grace at all but my little is so little that I even fear that it is none in truth If the piece of Coyn that I have be little yet if it be Gold it is well but if it be little and a Counter too then what am I the better Now so it is that I fear my little is but a Counter and not true Grace indeed therefore I am thus discouraged have I not cause and reason now Answ No For though your Grace be never so smal yet if it be good Coyn and not a Counter then you have no reason to be discouraged in this regard Now to satisfie you in this scruple I 'le tell you what smal weak little Grace will do and not do in opposition to common Grace It will not oppose much Grace the least Spark of fire will not oppose the flame or resist the flame Water will because Fire and Water are contrary and so false Grace will oppose the highest degree of Grace saying What need you be so strict and precise You may go to Heaven with less ado but the least degree of true Grace wil not oppose the highest It loves Examination it loves to examine and to be examined for it is sincere and sincerity is much in examination it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it holds up all its actions to the Sun and light it doth love the work of examination false counterfeit common Grace doth not so It is very inquisitive after the waies of God and after further Truths As the man that climbs up into the Tree first gets hold on the lower Boughs then on the higher and so winds himself into the body of the Tree till he comes to the top So doth a Christian do he begins with the lower then unto higher and so to higher discoveries at the first therefore he is most inquisitive What shall I do to be saved saies he and again Lord what wilt thou have me to do False and common Grace is not so It is much in the work of Humiliation it grows in a waterish place Now suppose that two Herbs be much alike the one soveraign and the other naught and it be told you that the soveraign good Herb grows in a waterish place and the other on a Rock will you not easily discern those by the places where they grow Thus it is here the weak Grace of the Saints grows in a waterish place it is much in Humiliation but the common false Grace of Hypocrites grows on a Rock As a weak Christian is very apt to rest upon his own doings so he is much in doing and in the work of Humiliation most It works according to the proportion of its own weakness it staggers at the Promise yet it goes to the Promise it doubts of Christs Love yet it doth run to Christ it stumbles yet it doth keep its way it is ignorant of Christ and not so forward in the knowledg of Christ as it should be yet it is laying of the foundation Heb. 6.1 It is the fault of a weak Christian that he is alwaies laying the foundation yet he is laying of the foundation though it works weakly yet it works according to the proportion of its weakness but the common false Grace doth not so It is willing to learn of others For saies a weak Christian I am but a Babe in Christ and therefore why should not I be willing to be carried in others Arms The less I can do the more I will receive as the strong Christian is much in doing so must I be much in receiving It is not thus with that false and common counterfeit Grace But as the Naturalists do report and write of the Lyon That he wil not eat of any Prey but what he hath hunted down himself other Beasts will Aelian de Animal they wil prey upon what is killed by others but the Lyon King of the Beasts is so proud that he wil not eat of that which is killed by another So men that are strong in Parts and Gifts and have no Grace withal will not eat of that which they do not hunt down themselves if they hunt it down then they wil close therewith else not A strong-graced Christian will and a weak-faithed Christian will but he that hath Parts and Gifts alone cannot rellish that so well which is brought to hand by another .. It is very sensible of it's own weakness A weak Christian is weak and he doth feel his weakness and is very sensible of it not a man in all the world Deo placet fides infirma modo nobis non placet fidei infirmitas Austin saith he that is more weak than I. Now ye know that if a Lady or Queen come to an House she hath a great Train attending upon her and though ye see her not yet if you see her Train you say she is there still Such a great Queen is Grace though a man have never so little of it yet it brings a great Train with it and though you see it not yet if you see the Train will ye not say surely the Grace of God is here Thus now it is with you that are weak in Grace these Seven things and a far greater Train than these you may see in your lives and therefore certainly you have no just cause and reason for your Discouragements in this respect Object O! but yet this is not the thing that doth pinch with me I hope through mercy the Root of the matter is in my soul that this great Queen of Grace hath taken up her lodging in my heart but yet I am exceeding weak in Grace and very feeble still some are weak in Grace because they are but new Plants new Converts lately brought home to Christ and are yet Babes in Christ and so they have excuse for their weakness but I profess that I have been converted a great while yet I am weak I am an old man or woman yet I am weak in Grace I am an old Professor and yet am weak in Grace therefore I am thus disquieted have I not just cause and reason now Answ No For though it is a shame for an old man to go in Coats or to be carried in the Arms like a Babe as every weak Christian is and though Christ will upbraid men of their slowness and dulness that have long
them not now wil I remember their iniquity Mâ—â—k the word Now Now when Now when they do come to prayer now wil I remember your iniquity saith the Lord. I know saith the Lord al your carriage in such and such a pâ—â—ce I know your uncleanness and your adulteries when you wâ—â—e in the dark when the curtains were drawn about you and the candle out I know your carriage at such a Tavern and upon such an Ale bench how you sate there and scâ—rned and reviâ—â—d my children I know your opposing scoffing and jeering at tho e that are Godly I know al this and now thou comest to prayer now Swearer now Adulterer now Drunkard now thou comest to duty now wil I remember thine iniquity Is it not a sad thing that the Lord should remember a mans sin at the time when he comes to prayer yet thus the Lord deales with the wicked But as for the Godly and Gracious man it is not so with him when he comes to prayer though he have many failings in duty yet the Lord remembers his mercy then the Lord remembers his loving kindness then the Lord remembers his Covenant for he is ever mindful of his Covenant O! what incouragement is here then for every man to become Godly to get into Christ and what incouragement is here for the Saints and people of God to come to duty O! you that have but a little faith have you any reason to be discouraged wil you not at last say to your soul why art thou cast down O my soul and why are thou thus discouraged Quest But suppose that I have done foolishly and have sinned in being discouraged upon al occasions suppose I have many failings in duty and the Lord doth not answer my prayer presently what shal I do that I may bear up my heart against this discouragement either in regard of my own failing in duty or in regard of Gods not answering Answ 1 First Take heed that you do not lay the stress and weight of al your comfort upon duty cither the gift of duty or the Grace of duty or the present answer of it So much as ye lay the stress and weight of your comfort upon duty so much wil you be discouraged in case you do either want duty or an answer to it When Paul was tempted and buffetted he prayed thrice For this saith he I besought the Lord thrice thâ—t is often and the Lord gave him no other answer than this 2 Cor. 12.8 9. Paul My Grace is sufficient for thee for my strength shal be made perfect in thy weakness Whereupon Paul saith Now therefore wil I Glory in mine infirmities that the pâ—wer of the Lord may rest upon me Hast thou therefore been at prayer and hast thou prayed thrice or often and hast thou no answer but this My Grace is sufficient for thee know that thou hast a Pauls answer and therefore rather Glory in this that the Lord should find thee faithful for to wait upon him than be discouraged knowing that the Lords strength shal be perfected in thy weakness Answ 2 Secondly Consider seriously and frequently of this rule That difficulty doth commend duty the more difficulties your duties do press through to God the more acceptable they are to him The less there is to sweeten your duty to you the more sweet is your duty to God It is in our performing of duty as in the offering of the Jewish Sacrifice in the offering of their Sacrifice there was two things The Sacrifice and the Obedience in offering the Sacrifice and the more difficult it was for any poor Jew by reason of poverty or the like to offer this Sacrifice the more and greater was his Obedience in offering it the more difficulty in offering the greater the Obedience offered So also it is in our Gospel Sacrifices and in al our duties there are two things in them There is the Sacrifice the duty and there is the Obedience in bringing the duty and the more difficulty in performing the duty the greater is the Obedience to God in the performing of it Now is is not an hard thing and very difficult for a man to pray and continue praying when his heart is hardned and his spirit streightned especially if he be sensible thereof then he is ready to despond and say I can pray no more and is it not a very hard thing for a man to pray and persevere in prayer when he thinks that God doth not regard his prayer then he is apt to say why should I pray any longer for God regards me not yet now if you do pray and perform your duty your obedience is the more obediential the more acceptable and if you would but think of this rule Difficulty doth commend duty and the less you have to sweeten your action the more sweet it is to God I say if you would but remember this it would both incourage you to duty and keep you from discouragement in it And lastly We must al learn to leave the event and success of our spiritual things unto God himself so shal we never be discouraged in any duty For the word of the Lord is sure and God hath spoken it Psal 55. Cast thy Gift upon the Lord Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaldee Par. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierom. projice super Dominum charitatem tuam Rab. Salv. Jar. abbreviate dictus Rashi vel Rasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod etiam pro dono usurpatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Sam. 11.8 Bibl. Bomb. and he wil sustain thee he wil not suffer the righteous to be moved for ever You read it thus Cast thy Burden upon the Lord but in the Hebrew it is thy Gift Cast thy Gift upon the Lord. That is saith Shindler quicquid tibi dari donarive expetis Whatsoever thou dost desire that God should give thee cast that upon the. Lord thou comest to prayer and thou prayest for such a mercy or such a Gift cast that on God and leave it wholly to him O! but the mercy I pray for is a necessary mercy Be it so yet it is to be cast on God But it is a spiritual Gift I pray for pardon of sin the sence of Gods love growth in Grace consolation to my poor drooping soul Be it so yet thou must cast this on God Many there are that can leave the event and and success of these outward things unto God but to leave the event and success of prayer and their spiritual things unto God this they cannot understand and this they are utterly unacquainted with but whatever thy Gift be cast it upon the Lord leave the success and the event of al your spiritual things upon God what then And he wil sustain thee and thou shalt not be moved for ever Thou are moved for the present and thy heart is moved and thou art much discouraged yet do but try this way leave the
it self We read of Saul indeed That when he was forsaken he cryed out and said God hath forsaken me the Philistims are upon me God hath forsaken me but it is in order to an outward evil the Philistims are upon me But the Saints when they are forsaken are sensible of this evil simply for it self and think the time long and tedious when they are so forsaken O Lord saith David how long wilt thou hide thy face from me what for ever But I say Was ever man forsaken was ever man quite forsaken of God that was sensible of this evil only and simply for it self Fourthly Did you ever read in al the Word of God That ever a man was finally forsaken who was tender in the point of sin who sate mourning after God We read in the Romans That when God gave up the Gentiles to their sins they gave up themselves unto al uncleanness and were past feeling The Saints and People of God on the contrary in the time of their Desertion are tender in the point of sin and they mourn after God When was a man ever forsaken whose heart was in this frame Fiftly Did you ever read that Christ did finally forsake a man in whose heart and soul stil he did leave his Goods Furniture and Spiritual Houshold-stuff A man somtimes goes from home and somtimes he doth quite leave his house There is much difference between those two If a man leave his house and comes no more then he carries away all his goods and when ye see them carried away ye say this man wil come no more But though a man ride a great Journey yet he may come again and ye say surely he wil come again why Because still his Goods Wife and Children are in his House So if Christ reject a man and go away finally he carries away all his Goods Spiritual Gifts Graces and Principles But though he be long absent yet if his Houshold-stuff abide in the heart if there be the same desires after him and delight in him and admiring of him and mourning for want of him ye may say surely he wil come again Why Because his Houshold-stuff is here still When did Christ ever forsake a man in whose heart he left this Spiritual Furniture Sixtly Did ye ever know a man finally forsaken of Christ who did long after the presence of Christ as the greatest good and looked upon his absence as the greatest evil and affliction in all the world being willing to kiss the feet of Jesus Christ and to serve him in the lowest and meanest condition so he might but enjoy him We find that the Saints desire above all things to be kist with the kisses of Christs mouth and therefore the Book of the Camicles doth so begin chap. 2. ver 1. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth even because that is the first and the chiefest of the Saints desires in this Life but if Christ wil not kiss me with the kisses of his mouth saith a gracious soul yet I am willing to kiss his feet as Mary did There is a time a coming when he wil kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for ever but for the present if I can but kiss his feet here I have hope to be kissed by him in Heaven Now I say Did Christ ever forsake a man finally who did thus long after Christ himself Can those that are forsaken mourn after his presence as the best thing and for his absence as the greatest evil in al the world I appeal to your own Souls and Bosoms herein whoever you are that labor under this fear that Christ is gone and he wil return no more suppose that God hath hid his face from you seems to forget you and to be angry with you yet in the midst of all these darknesses Do you find an evil Spirit an envious malicious Spirit from the Lord seizing upon you Do you find that you can find in your heart to forsake God and the good Waies of God Yea rather do you not find the contrary though you want the sence of Gods Love Have you not the sence of your own sin and when you want the sence of your own perfection have you not some sence of your own imperfection Don't you look upon this Desertion as the greatest Affliction in al the world Can you not mourn after God and his Presence Doth not Christ every foot send in one token of his Love or another to visit your souls And are you not willing to kiss the feet of Jesus Christ O yes I must needs say though I have fears that Christ is gone and wil return no more yet I praise the Lord I do not find an envious malicious persecuting Spirit in my soul unto the Saints and People of God I don't find that my heart is willing to forsake Christ and the good waies of Christ But I find that I can mourn for the absence of Christ simply for it self and look upon it as the greatest affliction in the world That I am ever willing to kiss the feet of Jesus Christ And to be in the lowest and meanest Condition so he would but return unto my soul again Yea and I must needs say That every foot I receive one token or other one Promise or another to visit me in my condition Then be of good comfort though Christ be absent yet he wil return again and with great mercy and with everlasting kindness wil he gather your souls unto himself again and thus I say it shal be with all the Saints Surely therefore they have no reason for their Discouragements whatever their Desertions be Why therefore should not every one say Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou so disquieted within me Quest Vpon all this account I see I have not so much reason for my Discouragement but it is an hard thing to bear up ones heart from sinking in the time of Desertion when God hides his face What shall I do then and this may be the condition of us all that I may bear up my heart against this Discouragement even when I am most in the dark and Christ hides his face from me or forsakes me Answ 1 First Take heed that ye don't measure Gods eternal Affection by some present Dispensation There is an Eternal Displeasure against a man and there is a present Displeasure with a man Eternal Displeasure or hatred cannot stand with Eternal Love but Eternal Love and present Displeasure may stand together A Father may be displeased with the Child for the present and yet may love him with Paternal Love So God may and doth love though for the present displeased But when men measure Eternal Affection by present Dispensation then they are quite discouraged and you will find all Discouragements in this case do arise from hence Some there are that do walk by particular Providences Experiences Words Manifestations and In-comes of Love and when they have them then
is with al the Saints they are led by Gods Call into their Condition and they can shew their Patent they can say here is my Call Now if a man do not live upon the Condition it self but upon Gods Call into his Condition and God doth cal his People into whatsoever condition they are then they have no reason to be discouraged by reason of their Condition Again Thirdly If there be no Condition that a godly man can fall into but there is some mercy that is mixed with it and Jesus Christ hath paid for that too then a man hath no reason to be discouraged whatever his condition be Now you know what Solomon saith Shall a living man complain is not a living Dog better than a dead Lyon Some Mercy stil that is mixed with Misery and Jesus Christ hath paid the Reckoning godly men have nothing to pay not any thing to pay Suppose you were invited to a great Feast and some of the Dishes were not so wel dressed or cooked up as you desire would you find fault would you complain No Why Because this feast doth cost me nothing the Master of the Feast may find fault but I am a Guest and it cost me nothing and therefore I have no reason to complain Beloved the Lord Jesus Christ is the great Master of the Feast and of al the Comforts which you have and he hath paid all your reckoning there is nothing for you to pay and if you bring in your Prayers your Tears your Obedience as matter of Payment they wil not be taken â—o saith Christ I have paid al my self witness these empty Purses these empty Veins of mine as for you O my Friends ye are welcom but you have nothing to pay not a penny not a faâ—thing I say there is no condition that a godly man can fal into but there is some mercy that is mixed withal and Christ hath paid the reckoning for the mercy too surely then the People or God have no reason to be discouraged by reason of their condition Object 1 But wil some say I am in a poor low mean base and despised condition and therefore I am thus disquieted as for those that are in a prosperous estate and condition they may well bear up their heads and be of good comfort Rich men indeed and those that are in a prosperous condition have many opportunities of serving God publickly and privately which a poor man hath not they have time to frequent the Ordinances in the week to converse much with God in private whilst the poor man is fain to be at work for his living and glad he can get his living too there is no man knows the misery of a poor condition but those that are in it and such is my condition and therefore I am thus discouraged have I not cause and reason for it Answ No for whosoever you are that speak or think thus Do you know what the burden of Prosperity is You see a Town somtimes upon the side of a Hill and you say what a fine Town is there what pleasant Meadows are about it what excellent Woods what clean Waies unto it Thus you speak at a distance But when you draw neer unto this Town and go through some of the Lanes you find them very dirty and then you say I did not think at a distance that there had been such a dirty Lane about this Town I saw nothing but fine and clean Meadows when I was at a distance I did not think there had been such dirty passages to it So when you look upon Prosperity at a distance you think there is no dirty Lanes no foul Passages to it and from it but when you come neer unto it then you find many a dirty passage and you say O! what dirty sloughs are here The Truth is the more Prosperous I speak now of outward Prosperity a mans Condition is the more opportunities he hath of doing and receiving good But if you look into Numbers 4. you shal find That every opportunity of Service carries a burden with it and therefore the Service of the Levites is often and in many verses of the Chapter called a burden I wil name but one which is the last According to the Commandement of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses every one according to his Service and according to his Burden Service and Burden do here go together Burden and Service Service and Burden And now poor soul is it a burden to you that you are freed from a burden hath not our Lord and Savior Christ said and do you not find it in Experience That the poor receive the Gospel is not a living Sprig of a Tree better than a dead Arm The poor Hen you know so long as she lives is upon the Dunghil and there she is scraping and picking up her living but when she is dead then she is brought unto the Masters Table The Hawk on the contrary while he is living is carryed upon the Fist and upon the Arm and hath good flesh and provision made for him and a house to sit in but when the Hawk dieth then he is thrown out unto the Dunghil So in this case so long as a poor godly man is living here it may be he is upon the Dunghil and picking up his living a little and a little but when he dieth then he is brought into his Masters presence But the rich ungodly man when he dieth though while he lived he had great provision yet then he is thrown out unto the Dunghil and comes no more into his Masters Presence O! you that are godly though in a low condition would you then change your condition with the wicked The lower your Condition is the higher is your Obedience if you submit unto the work of your Condition this is Angelical Obedience for the Angels though in order of Nature they are above Men yet at the Command of God they are ministring Spirits unto Men attend and look to Men that are much below them in Nature and the lower the work is that they do in tending Men the higher is their Obedience to God So say I The lower the work of your Condition is the higher and more Angelical Luc. 6. Vae vobis divitibus quoniam accepistis hic consolationem vestram non simpliciter dicit Christus quoniam consolationem recipitis in hac vita sed addit Vestram quasi ista sit ipsorum portio ultra quam nihil illis boni sit expectandum amplius unde in Graeco pulchre positum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Musculus in Matth. â— p. 67. Non est simplex verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ed compositum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat antein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non tamen simplic ter recipâ—re â—t haâ—eâ—e fed portionem solatâ—i sui jam accepisse et jam habere â—t â—oâ—tea mâ—llam aliam et â—â—hil amplâ—â—â— vel petere possit vel expectare deâ—ent
doth not intercede for all and it must needs say so for Christ said Father I thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies therefore if Christ should pray for the conversion of al the particular men in the world then all the particular men in the world should be converted and so saved but all are not saved or converted therefore this Doctrine must needs divide between the Intercession and the Death of Christ and so pull down that great Pillar of our Christian Comfort which stands in the Conjunction of Christs Death and Intercession Arg. 3 That Doctrine which is contrary or repugnant to the free Grace of God cannot be a true friend to the comfort of a poor doubting soul for what is our great comfort on this side Heaven but the Free Grace of God Now what is Free Grace but the special Favor of God shewn to some more than to others And therefore if ye look into Romans 9. ye shal find that when the Apostle would set out the free Grace of God saying Whom he will he shews mercy to and whoâ— he will he hardens he first shews that Jacob and Esau were alike alike in regard of their Parentage for both were of Isaac and Rebecca alike in regard of their Work For the Children being not yet born and having done neither good or evil c. yet God did love the one and hate the other shewing mercy to the one and not to the other Why Because God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and will have compassion on whom he will have compassion ver 15. So that it is the work of Free Grace to shew mercy to some and not to others who are alike unworthy So again Ephes 2. the Apostle proving that by Grace we are saved first he shews that the Ephesians by Nature were as unworthy as any other being al by Nature the children of wrath ver 1.2 yeâ— those Ephesians did obtain mercy and not others Why Because by Grace they were saved So that Free Grace is that distinguishing Mercy of God whereby he doth shew mercy to some and not to others who are alike miserable and unworthy But now this Doctrine of Universal Redemption tels us That as Christ died for all so he doth give a sufficiency of Grace unto all and therefore that which distinguisheth one man from another must be the free Will of man and not the free Grace of God for Commune quae tenus commune non distinguit That which is common as common cannot distinguish As suppose now that a Father doth bestow an equal Sum of Money upon two Children to purchase House or Land with one doth purchase and the other not the reason why the one purchases and the other not is Because the one wills it and the other not indeed he that purchaseth doth it by his Fathers help assistance and Money but what reason is there why he doth make a Purchase and the other not but because he wils it and the other not So if God give a sufficiency of Grace unto all that one man doth beleeve you 'l say is by the Grace of God but the reason why one beleeves and the other not is only the Will of Man that this man wils it and the other not Now where Free Will hath the casting Vote there the Free Grace of God doth not raign but according to the Doctrine of Universal Redemption Free Will is that which doth make the difference between man and man it is that which hath the casting Voyce surely therefore it is no friend but a real enemy to the free Grace of God and so an enemy to the comfort of a poor doubting soul Arg. 4 That Doctrine which is opposite to the assurance of my Salvation cannot be a friend to my Comfort in time of Temptation For what comfort can I have in my soul so long as I doubt of my Eternal wel-fare Now this Doctrine of Universal Redemption doth destroy the Assurance of our Salvation for who doth not know that according to that Doctrine a man may fall from Grace as long as he lives else it wil tel you that he should not act freely but be under a necessity and necessity and freedom cannot stand together But if a man may fall from Grace as long as he lives then he can have no assurance of his Salvation til he be dead And if a godly man cannot have assurance of his perseverance in Grace then he cannot have assurance of his Salvation But according to that Doctrine a godly man cannot have assurance of his perseverance in Grace for I can have no assurance of any Mercy without Gods Promise but this Doctrine wil tel you That God hath no where promised to any man that he shal certainly persevere in Grace Surely therefore it is no friend to our assurance of Salvation and therefore is a real Enemy to the Faith and Comfort of a poor doubting soul Arg. 5 The more any Doctrine doth hang the Mercy of God upon Conditions to be performed by us the less comfortable it is and the more it leaves a poor doubting soul in his fears Now according to this Doctrine of Universal Redemption the whol Mercy of God is made to depend and hang upon performance of our Conditions yea upon the performance of the Condition of Nature For say we If Christ died for all particular men and so God doth wil the Salvation of al the particular men in the world then he doth wil this either absolutely or conditionally if absolutely then it must needs come to pass conditionally therefore saith this Doctrine God doth will the Salvation of all men upon condition that they repent beleeve and obey if so say we then either God doth will this Condition viz. That all particular men should repent and beleeve or not if not then God doth not will the Salvation of all for he that doth not wil the means doth not wil the end Qui vult finem vult media ad finem If God do wil this condition viz. The Faith and Repentance of all the men in the World then say we he doth wil this either absolutely or conditionally if absolutely then it must needs come to pass that all men should repent and beleeve which they do not Conditionally therefore say the maintainers of this Doctrine and what condition is there precedent to Faith and Repentance but Nature and the work thereof yea what Grace or Mercy is there in the Gospel but they do tie it up unto our conditions Wil ye instance in the Purchase and Benefits of the Death of Christ these say they are to be given out upon condition Will ye instance in the Grace of the new Covenant all that say they is to be given out and is promised upon condition There is no absolute Promise of Grace say they in all the Scripture Now look what that Doctrine is which doth make all Grace conditional that must needs be very obstructive to the hope and
comfort of a poor doubting soul Such is this Doctrine of Universal Redemption surely therefore it can be no true friend but is a real enemy to the consolation of a poor doubting and afflicted soul Object 6 But if Christ did not die for all and every particular man how can I conclude that he did die for me Can I raise a Conclusion of Faith unless the Proposition be universal Answ Although I need not answer this Objection because those that make it do themselves answer it from their own Principles and Experience saying That Faith is an assent to the Truth of the Gospel and that they were converted unto God and did beleeve before they held this Doctrine of Universal Redemption Yet for further Answer you must know There is a Faith of Relyance and there is a Faith of Assurance As the Faith of Assurance hath a Shall be of Mercy for its bottom so a May be of Mercy is a sufficient ground and bottom for the Faith of Relyance Jonathan and his Armor-bearer had but a may be of Mercy when they went against their Enemies It may be the Lord will work for us 1 Sam. 14.6 yet they relyed on God Now though Christ did not die for all particular men yet if he died for sinners indefinitly there is a may be of Mercy for me But so it is that Christ did die for sinners indefinitely though not for sinners universally and therefore there is a sufficient ground for me to beleeve and rely on him Ye know or may know That the Act of Relyance is before the act of Assurance I must indeed be assured that Christ is able to save me before I relie on him but I must first rely on him before I can be assured that he wil save me and by this Act of Relyance we grow up into Assurance I know that he will shew mercy to me by my coming to him and relying on him for he hath said Whoever comes unto me I will in no wise cast out Now if my Assurance be raised from the Act of Relyance then the first ground and bottom of the conclusion of my Faith is not this General Proposition Christ died for all but this Indefinite Proposition Christ died for sinners And if the conclusion of Faith must arise from a General Proposition then take it thus Whoever comes to Christ and relieth on him shall be saved or thus Christ died for all those that do come to him and rely on him But I come to him and rely on him therefore Christ died for me and I shal be saved by him So that thus now ye see the want of that General Proposition Christ died for all men is no hindrance to the Conclusion or Assurance of our Faith and therefore you have no reason to be discouraged in reference to this Objection Object 7 Yet there is one thing more that sticks with me even that old Objection which I cannot be rid of When I look into my Condition the Condition of my Soul or Body I find my condition is such as never any ones condition was I have conversed with many a godly man and woman but I do not find that ever he or she was in such a condition as I am and I have read the Scripture but I do not find there that ever any godly man was in such a condition as I am could I be but perswaded that ever any gracious man was in the like condition I should have hope and comfort but I am perswaded that never any godly soul was in such a condition as I am therefore I am thus discouraged have I not cause and reason now Answ 1 No For if it be usual with the Saints and People of God to think thus then you have no reason to be discouraged in this respect Now I pray look what the Church saith in Lam. 1.1 2. Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow if there be any condition like unto my condition and it seems that such were the thoughts of Gods People whom Peter did write unto in 1 Pet. 4.12 Beloved saith he think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you you wil think that no bodies condition is like unto yours some strange thing is happened unto you And so in the 5. chap. and 9. verse of that Epistle Whom resist stedfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the world you think that you meet with such afflictions as never were in the World before be not deceived saith he Answ 2 But suppose that your condition be as never any bodies was hath not the Lord said Behold I work a new thing Is not the Name of Christ wonderful and are wonders wrought ordinarily If your condition be as never any bodies condition was then have you an opportunity of glorifying God more than ever any man or woman had then you have an opportunity of glorifying God either in doing or in suffering more than ever any man or woman had And then O! what Grace is here what Mercy is here what Love is here to overcome thy soul withal that thou shouldest have such an opportunity as never man or woman had before And therefore what I said unto you often I must now conclude with Gods People have no reason for their Discouragements whatever their condition be Thus I have now done with this Last Instance and with all the Instances Give me leave to speak somthing by way of Application in reference to the whol and so I wil shut up this Exercise Applic. If all these things be so if this be true That the Children of God have no reason for their Discouragements whatever their Condition be Then what a mighty necessity is there upon us all to look into our Conditions and to consider whether we be in Christ or no whether we be Godly yea or nay whether we have made our Peace with God I or not and whether we have Faith I or no All men have not Faith saith the Apostle Indeed all men say they have Faith and should I go from Seat to Seat and from Bosom to Bosom and knock at every Breast in the Congregation asking Whether doth Faith dwel here or no Unless it were some few troubled ones afflicted in Conscience every one of you would say I do beleeve I praise God I do beleeve I have Faith here within But all men have not Faith and few there be that do beleeve Children yong men and women Faith is not a thing that is born with you it is a harder thing to beleeve than to keep the ten Commandements when once you come to know what it is to beleeve you wil say O! it is a harder thing to beleeve than to do any thing I do not know any thing in al the world that is so hard
as to beleeve But if you do beleeve be in Christ are godly and have made your Peace with God blessed are you of the Lord nothing shal offend you nothing shall discourage you But if not godly if not in Christ if not beleeving every thing shall offend thee and discourage thee and thou hast no reason to be encouraged whatever thy condition be Shall we not then my beloved all of us as in the presence of the Lord seriously look into our condition and consider whether we be in Christ I or not But suppose I be in Christ or I be not in Christ beleeve or not beleeve what then If yet you do not beleeve if yet you be not in Christ if yet you be not Godly this Doctrine doth here from the Lord hold forth an invitation to you to come unto Jesus Christ for if a man be in Christ and be Godly then he hath no reason to be discouraged whatever his condition be If a man be not Godly he hath no reason to be encouraged whatever his condition be On the one hand there lies al Encouragements On the other hand there lies all Discouragements Now therefore in the Name of the Lord do I here this morning lay before this Congregation Life and Death Encouragement on the one hand and Discouragement on the other hand and if there be an Adulterer a Swearer a Lying Child or a Stealing Servant if there be ever a poor Wanton a Sabbath-breaker an Opposer of God here I beseech you in the Lord come unto Jesus Christ by all these Encouragements that I have been speaking of by all the Mercies of the new Covenant and by the Salvation of thine own soul man or woman I beseech you come unto Jesus Christ O! that men and women would give no rest unto themselves til they have made their Peace with God and til they have gotten into Jesus Christ And in case that you be in Christ and that you do beleeve that you be godly and have made your Peace with God Then see that ye walk up unto all these Encouragements see that you walk in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost O! you that are Godly if these things be as you have heard Why hang you down your heads why are you cast down and disquieted why do you not walk in the comforts of this Truth declared and in the strength of these Encouragements You see what a venture we have run to speak comfort to you that want comfort You have heard in several Exercises That a godly man hath no reason for his Discouragements whatever his condition be Not in regard of sin Not in regard of Failings and successlessness in Duties Not in regard of want of Assurance Not in regard of Temptation Not in regard of Affliction Not in regard of Desertion And now not in regard of his Condition in it self considered Now after all this I appeal to you you that are without comfort Do you not think that there are some wicked men in this Congregation that have presumed when they have heard these things preached and have said These things belong to me and so have endangered their own souls by presumption comforting themselves when they should not be comforted I appeal to you Whether you do not think That there are some wicked men in the Congregation that have thus endangered their souls by mis-application of these Consolations And if so that there hath been this hazard run and all to comfort you then will you now refuse this comfort O! you that have refused comfort al this while receive it in the Lord and you that were never comforted before now comfort your selves and walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost And you that have gone up and down fearing trembling doubting and much discouraged yet now at the last say Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope in God wait on God trust in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God How you should so hope and wait and trust in God as to bear up your hearts against all discouragements I shall yet speak to in the next Exercise So much for the Ninth and Last Instance THE CURE OF Discouragements BY FAITH IN Jesus Christ Sermon XIII PSALM 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul Stepney June 25. 1648. and why art thou disquieted within me Hope in God or wait thou or trust thou in God YOU have heard of the Saints Discouragements and the unreasonableness of them there is no just cause or reason for their Discouragements Would you now hear of some means against them The Psalmist saith in these words Hope thou in God or trust thou in God or wait thou on God And so the Doctrine plainly is this Doct. Faith is the Help against all Discouragements Hoping Trusting Waiting on God is the special if not the only means appointed against all Discouragements I had verily fainted unless I had beleeved saith David to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living I had fainted unless I had beleeved Faith bears up the heart against all Discouragements For your more cleer understanding of this Truth and our better proceeding I shal labor First To shew you what it is to Hope Trust in God or to Wait on him Secondly That Faith doth quiet ones heart in the times of Discouragements Thirdly That it is the Duty of all the Saints and People of God when Discouragements do arise then and then especially to trust in God and to exercise their Faith Fourthly VVhat there is in Faith that can bear up the heart against all Discouragements and how Faith doth it Quest 1 First If ye ask VVhat it is to Hope in God to Trust in God and to VVait on him Answ I Answer That to Hope in God is to expect Help from God To Trust in God is to rely or rest upon God for Help And to wait on him is to continue and abide in this Expectation or Relyance Properly according to Scripture Phrase Trusting in God is the Recumbency or the Relyance of the soul upon God in Christ for some good thing that lies out of sight I say first it is the Recumbency or Relyance of the soul upon God the staying of the soul upon God so you read in Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee So the Spouse in the Canticles is found leaning upon her Beloved and so we are commanded to trust not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on him that raiseth Christ from the dead which notes a siducial repose Rom. 4. â—3 so that Trusting in God is to stay upon him And then I say it is the Relyance or the stayance of the soul upon God in Christ and so I take it to be meant here for the word here translated God Hope or Trust in God
not spent al my mercy upon David or upon Abraham or upon Paul or upon Peter but I keep mercy for thousands O! but yet my sins do recoyl I am the greatest Sinner in the world for I have sinned al kinds of sin I have sinned al sorts of sins and therefore I fear there 〈◊〉 no hope for me Yet saith the Lord be not discouraged for I keep mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin even all sorts and al kinds of sins the Sin of Nature and the Sin of Life the Sin of Weakness and the Sin of Presumption the Sin of Ignorance and the Sin against Knowledg these saith the Lord I forgive even al sorts and al kinds of Sins and this is my Name for ever O! but I am afraid to lay hold upon this Promise for I think this is a Doctrine of Liberty Say not so saith the Lord at the next verse I will by no means cleer the guilty But if there be ever a poor drooping fearing trembling soul that desires to know my Name Lo saith the Lord here is my Name whereby I wil be known for ever The Lord Jehovah that gives a Being to things that are not The Mighty God The Merciful God The Gracious God Abundant in Goodness and in Truth Reserving Mercy for thousands Forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and this is my Name for ever Now Faith comes and closeth with this Name of God leading the Soul into this rich Wardrop and so doth quiet the heart against all Discouragements Answ 3 Thirdly Faith doth put the Soul under Gods Commandement and leaveth God to Answer unto al such Objections and Inconveniences as may come thereby which if a man can do he may be very quiet Now true saving Faith wil enable him to do this for ye know how it was with the three Children Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they put themselves under Gods Commandement The Lord commanded and said Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image Well but the King commands them to fal down before his Image No say they we wil not stir we wil not bow but saith the King I wil make you bow or I wil heat the Furnace seven times hotter for you Well be it so say they as for that we are not solicitous we wil do the work that God hath set us to do we wil put our selves under Gods Command we know that our God is able to deliver us and whether he wil deliver us or no we wil leave that to him let him answer to the inconveniencies and mischiefs that follow upon his Work for saith the Text They trusted in the Lord. And so you know it was with Noah Noah was commanded to build an Ark for saith the Lord yet an hundred twenty yeers and the whol world shal be destroyed and therefore Noah build thou an Ark for thy self and thy family which Noah did and put himself under this Command But now the world the old world might speak thus as certainly the language of their Conversation was Noah Dost thou think that thou art the only man in al the world that God loves Dost thou think Noah that God loves thee one man more than al the men or the world and thy one Family more than al the Families in the world beside And if thou dost beleeve what thou preachest That the World shal be destroyed by Water in an hundred and twenty yeers why dost thou marry and begeâ— Châ—ldren as thou hast done since thou hast preached this Doctrine And Noah if thou dost make an Ark or a Ship who shal be the Pilate who shal be the Mâ—â—riner the Sâ—â—ler As for thy self thou hast been a Preacher and dost thou think that thou and thy few Sons are able to guide and gâ—vern so great a Vessel If it be as thou preacheâ—t That the â—easts the wild Beasts of the Field shal come unto this Ark the Lyon and the Bear and the Tyger wil they not tear thee to pieces And if all the Beasts of the field two by two shal come into the Ark Noah wil there not be such a stench in the Ark with their dung as wil poyson thee shalt thou be ever able to live thinkest thou Wel for al this Noah goes on and he built the Ark and leaves God that â—et him on work to answer to al these Objections and to all those Inconveniences that might come by the doing the thing which God commands And so doth Faith alwaies Faith puts a man under the Commandement of God and leaves God to answer to those Oâ—jections and inconveniences that may come thereby Now when a man can do thus must he not needs be quiet It is to speak more briefly the proper wâ—rk of Faith to resign and give up our wils unto God for by the resignation of the wil unto God we do trust God with our selves and Conditions It is the proper work of Faith to fal with a suitable Promise and to apply the same if that Plaister of the Promise be noâ— laid on the Soul with a warm hand it wil not stick And what is the reason that the Promise sticks not upon many souls but because it is laid on with the cold and chil hand of Unbelief Now the hand of Faith is a warm hand It 's the proper work of Faith to trade with the Call of God for true saving Faith is a venturing Grace but without a Call it wil not venture It is the proper work of Faith to see the hand of God in every Dispensation The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away saith Faith I was dumb and opened not my mouth for thou Lord hast done it saith Faith It 's the proper work of Faiâ—h to look on both sides of Gods Dispensation and of our own Condition there is a dark side of a Dispensation and there is a light side thereof Sence and Reason looks on the dark side alone Faith seeth both sides Come my beloved Brethren said Laâ—imer to his fellow Prisoners when he went to the Stake though we pass through he fire to day yet we shal light such a Candle in England as shal never be put out again He saw both sides of the Dispensation why but because he beleeved It is the proper work of Faith to see one Contrary in another for it speaks and concludes as the Word of Faith doth Now the word oâ— Faith speaketh on this wise I will give you a door of Hope in the Valley of Achor And the Lord shall judg his People and repent towards his Servants when he seeth that their power is gone and none shut up or left Deut. 32.36 It is the proper work of Faith to engage God to succor Psal 37.40 For the Lord shall save them because they trust in him So Esai 26.3 Thou will keep them in perfect peace because they trust in thee Now when a man can do al these things wil he not be quiet and free from Discouragements Surely he wil.
hath now brought you into this extraordinary condition then know from the Lord that it is as great a sin for you now not to trust in God for extraordinary mercy as it would have been for you not to have trusted in the Lord for ordinary deliverance in an ordinary case You know how it was with the Children of Israel they sinned greatly in the Wilderness so much that the Lord kept them out of the Land of Canaan and many of their Carkasses fel in the Wilderness what was the reason the Text tels us they did not beleeve Wherein was their Unbelief They did not trust God for meat in the Wilderness why but that had been a miracle to have Meat in the Wilderness true yet this was their Unbelief That they did not trust God for Meat in the Wilderness Again they sinned and did not trust God for Water why but it was a miracle for them to have Water in that place where no Water was naturally true yet because the Lord had led them in a way of miracles before they sinned now in that they did not trust God for miracles and it was as great a sin that they did not trust God for Miracles being led in a way of Miracles as that they did not trust God for ordinary mercies when the Lord led them in waies of ordinary mercies So I say to you If God lead you in a way of ordinaries then must you trust God for ordinaries but if ordinary means cannot be had and God have led you in a way of extraordinaries it is then a sin in you to tie God to ordinaries Are you therefore in an extraordinary case and streit know that it is no sin now to trust God for extraordinary mercy help and relief Seventhly And if after al these things your hearts fail you and you would so trust in God as that you may not be discouraged whatever your condition be then ask thine own soul these Questions First Whether there be any gain by doubting whether there is any Spiritual gain to be made by doubting Faith purifies the heart but doth doubting purifie the heart Secondly Whether there is any thing in all the World more pleasing to God than to trust the Lord in and by Jesus Christ when all Comforts are out of view and when you see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised Thirdly Whether you must not venture upon Christ at the last and if you must venture upon Christ at the last why not now as wel as at the last When a man comes to go over a River though he ride once and again into the Water and comes out saying I fear it is too deep for me yet considering that there is no other way for him he resolves to venture for saith he the longer I stay the higher the Waters wil rise and there is no other way for me and I must through at the last as good at the first as at the last and so he doth venture through and is safe Thus it is here You must venture upon Christ at the last there is no other way but venturing upon Jesus Christ thou must do it at the last and were it not as good for you to do it at the first as at the last Surely the longer you stay the harder you wil find it to venture and the more difficulties wil arise upon the work of Beleeving You say now O! but my heart is not humbled O! but I am a great sinner and should I venture upon Jesus Christ But wil thy heart be more humbled by keeping from Christ and shalt thou be a less sinner by keeping from him No certainly but the longer you stay from Christ the harder work it wil be to venture upon Christ at the last Wherefore if there be ever a poor drooping doubting fearing trembling heart in al this Congregation know That I do here in the Name of the Lord call out to you and say O soul man or woman Venture venture venture upon Christ now for you must come to this venturing Work at the last and if ever it is true here better at the first than at the last Must you not venture upon Christ at the last and if at last why not now Thus ply and follow your own souls with these three Questions And Eighthly If you would so trust in God as that you may not be discouraged whatever your condition be Then consider frequently and seriously what a blessed thing it is for to wait on God and for God yea what a reasonable thing it is that you should wait for him and on him For He hath waited on you and for your Repentance He waited in the daies of Noah for the Repentance of the old World and he waited long 1 Pet. 3.20 a long while also hath he waited for your repentance if he had not waited long what had become of you Yea and he hath not only waited but he doth stil and wil wait to shew Mercy Esai 30.18 he waiteth to shew mercy on them that wait for his Mercy Now shal God wait for us and for our Repentance and shal not we wait for him and his Grace Ye have waited on others and do stil wait on others who is there in al the World that you deal with but you do wait upon Will ye instance in great men must you not wait long to speak with them yea though it be for their own good It 's recorded of Henry the Emperor of Germany That when he came to speak with the Pope the Pope made him and his Wife and eldest Son stand waiting three daies in the cold Winter season at his Pallace Gates before he would speak with the Emperor Wil ye instance in your Inferiors and such as are beneath you must you not wait even for them that do wait on you your Servants if you bid them do a thing you must wait til it be done and if you bid them come you must wait til they come Or wil ye instance in other Creatures Do you not wait on the Sun for Light on the Water for Coolness on the Fire for heat Now if we wait on the Creatures al the Creatures is it not reasonable that we wait on the Creator Yet further Do ye not somtimes wait on the Lusts of men yea ye have somtimes waited on your own Lusts The Adulterer waiteth for the twy-light saith Job And hâ—w often have you waited for an opportunity of sinning Now wil ye wait on Men your Inferiors other Creatures yea on the Wils and Lusts of Men and wil you not wait on the Grace of God Look when you give over waiting then may deliverance come and if it come then how wil you be filled with shame and confusion 2 Kingâ— 6. last the King said It is a vain thing to wait on God any longer And if ye look into the next Chapter at verse 1. ye shal find that deliverance came in the next words No sooner had the
yet more practically First Go to God for Wisdom and the Spirit of Discerning it is Christ alone that doth see mens fruit under al their Leaves beg this Discerning Spirit therefore at the hands of Christ Secondly Take heed that you do not lie in any Sin or Error for al Sin and Error blinds How shal you see the Error of another if you be blinded with your own Sin and Error Thirdly In case any thing doth arise which hath difficulty in it consult with others for ye are not alone And saith David I will enquire in thine holy Temple Fourthly Be sure that you keep to the Scripture and take heed that you do not judg of Doctrines by impressions Let the Light within you be your Principle enabling you unto what is good but let it not be your Rule to judg of Doctrines that is the Word alone Fiftly Take heed that you have not too great a charity towards and Opinion of those that are suspected to be false Teachers Ye shal know them by their Fruits saith Christ And lest you should think that they may be good Plerique enim hominum ita impostorum liberalitate sascinantur ut quicquid proponunt monstruosae Doctrinae tamen pro bonis habeant Quibus Christus respondet non modo hujusmodi homines bonos non esse sed ne esse quidem posse Cartw. Harm p. 271. I tel you nay saies Christ in the next words for a corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit No man â—thers Grapes off Thorns or Figs off Thistles 〈◊〉 evil men and Seducers saies the Apostle If â—ducers you are to look upon them as evil me◠〈◊〉 wel as on Drunkards Swearers and Prophane â—sons which because some have not done they 〈◊〉 been deceived instead of making this Discovery 〈◊〉 Sixtly And if you would be sure to make 〈◊〉 right Judgment in this great Discovery then 〈◊〉 your time Si quis ex foliis et floribus judicium formare velit non expectata fructuum maturitate plane hallucinetur sic etiam qui de initiis quibusdam judicium sibi fingant c. tandem enim eorum amentia omnibus innotescet 2 Tim. 3. Cartw. Harm p. 270. and wait long before you close wiâ—â—â—ny of their Opinions for saith Christ Ye 〈◊〉 know them by their Fruit. Now the Fruit of a 〈◊〉 is not presently seen an ill Tree in Winter may seem to be as good as the best Stay therefore your time and you shal know them by their Fruit and so be able to make this Discovery which is so pleasing to and commendable in the Eyes of Jesus Christ Attendite a falsis Prophetis diligenter cavete non dixit aspicite sed attendite quod aspicere est ad illud quod palam videtur attendere autem est cum sollicitudine inquitere Abulens in Mat. 7. p. 2â—â— It may be some wil think and say This doth not concern or reach my Condition I am troubled with and labor under such or such a Temptation and in al this nothing hath been spoken unto that Temptation But remember that our Lord and Savior Christ hath not said to some but to al Beware of false Prophets not Behold but Beware we behold what is open and beware of what is hidden and both Christ and his Apostles tel us That in the last daies there shal arise false Christs false Prophets false Apostles and false Brethren insomuch as if it were possible they should deceive the very Elect and is this nothing then unto your Condition It may be it is your Temptation that you do not take heed and beware enough I date boldly say he is under a Temptation that thinks these things do not reach him or concern his Condition And what is the reason that many poor souls are so mis-led in these daies of ours but because they have not been prepared and underlaid with Knowledg for to make resistance al their work and business hath been about some particular Temptation striving against some Temptation if they have heard any thing about that wel if not then they think the matter concerns not them and so not being grounded in the Faith when Deceivers come they are taken Captive by them But I know you al desire to be commended by Christ at that great Day when he shal say Well done good and faithful Servant And this discovery of false Teachers is a matter of great Commendation in his Eyes now and what he commends now he wil commend then wherefore up and be doing It may be this may be some pains and labor to you but Christ saith I know thy Works and thy Labor It may be it may cost you much trouble and sorrow but he saith also I know thy Labor and thy Patience It may be some may think you are too busie and severe in the Work of this Discovery but he hath said I know thy Works and thy Labor and thy Patience and that thou canst not bear them which are evil and hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Lyars Wherefore let us comfort and encourage one another with these words THE GOOD AND MEANS OF ESTABLISHMENT Wherein is shewed besides other things I. That it is a great Mercy for a Nation and State to be setled II. A Mercy and great Blessing for a Church to be setled III. A great Blessing and Mercy for a Particular Soul to be setled in the Good Waies of God By William Bridge Preacher of the Gospel at Yarmouth LONDON Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1656. THE Good and Means OF ESTABLISHMENT 1 PET. 5.10 Preached At Stepney January 6. 1655. But the God of all Grace who hath called us unto his eternal Glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you SOme think these words are spoken in the way of a Promise from God Promissionem ad ungit Apostolus Salmeron Grotius Gerardus Vicinus Tho. Aquinus Ad precationem se convertir Apostolus Calvin Beza Piscator H. Illicitus Estius Gomarus Aretius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others think they are spoken in the way of a desire Prayer to God They are a Promise say some because they are brought in to comfort and relieve these dispersed Saints against the Temptations of Satan and opposition of the World which the Apostle had mentioned in the former Verses 8 9. as also becauâ—e those words Perfect stablish strengthen settle you are found in some Books in the Future Tense of the Indicative Mood to be read thus Shal perfect stablish strengthen and settle you But I find the Copies ordinarily to give them in the Optative Beza tels us Omnes nostri codices tribus tamen exceptis Scripta haec habent optandi modo Beza in loc In nonnullis quidem exemplaribus Graecis verba
sunt indicativi modi temporisque futuri quemâ—dmodum in Latinis verum ea minus probatae sunt fidei Estius in loc that al our Books excepting three do read these Words in the Optative Mood And Estius though the vulgar Latin renders them in the Future Tense of the Indicative saith that al such Copies are of less Credit and that although the words should be in the Future Tense it comes al to the same reckoning for as much as the Hebrews whom the New Testament follows much do ordinarily put Futures for Optatives as wel as for Preceptives So Numb 20.17 we translate the words thus Let us I pray thee pass through thy Country 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag Ibo nunc Montan. and yet the word in the Hebrew is in the Future Tense We will pass through c. So Jer. 40.15 we read Let me go I pray thee and I will smite Ishmael and yet the word in the Hebrew is I will go and smite Ishmael So that according to the Hebrew the Future is ordinarily put for the optative in a way of desire and Petition But the words here used are in the Optative Mood and therefore by that Argument 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we cannot conclude these words to be spoken in the way of a Promise It 's true indeed That they contain matter of much comfort and relief for those that suffer under the temptations of Satan or oppositions of the World but so they do also though they be spoken in a way of Prayer And it is usual with the Apostles to conclude their Epistles with a short Prayer Postquam satis incubuit in monitiones nunc se ad precationem convertit nam frustra in nerem fundetur Doctrina nisi Deus per Spiritum suum operetur Calvin in Loc. and that Prayer with a Doxology And so doth the Apostle here The God of all Grace who hath called you c. perfect stablish strengthen and settle you to whom be Glory for ever and ever a Promise is not so concluded but a Prayer is I conceive therefore that these words are spoken in way of a Prayer wherein ye have 1 The Mercy and the Blessing prayed for 2 The Arguments ensuring it 1 As for the Mercy and Blessing prayed for it is expressed in four words Perfect Stablish Strengthen Quod pluribus verbis rem unam designat Petrus nempe fidelium confirmationem hoc ideo facit ut sciamus rarae esse difficultatis cursum nostrum persequi et proinde singulari Dei gratia opus esse Calvin in Loc. and Settle you Some think they are Synonimous all intending the same thing the confirmation and perseverance of those disperâ—ed Christian-Jews But though they may aim at the same general thing yet there are several particulars under that general which the words seem to point at The first word which we render Perfect should I think be translated otherwise It is the same word that is used Matth. 4.21 Mark 1.19 Significat ergo Apostolus telam bonorum operum quam teximus facile ac cito â—n hac vita rumpi nisi accedat Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gerard. for mending of their Nets and the same that is used Gal. 6.1 You that are Spiritual RESTORE such an one with the Spirit of Meekness and it signifies such a restoring as is of unjoynted Members Now these Christians being scattered the Apostle praies Significat enim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 membra in corpore luxata reponere Ibid. Beza compingat Erasm instauret that God would please to joynt them again Thus the God of al Grace after you have suffered and been shattered bring you into order restore and repair you But suppose that God restore and mend us yet we may fal again True but I do not only pray for you saith Peter that ye may be restored and mended but that you may be confirmed so as ye may not fal away The God of all Grace stablish you also The word signifies to fasten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat figere firmiter statuere Septuag utuntur pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stare fecit quod alibi exponunt pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alibi pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alibi pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat roborare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valeo opponitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fundare and confirm and establish So Rom. 1.11 1 Thes 3.1 2. But though we be so confirmed by the Grace of God that we cannot fal away yet we may be weak and labor under great Infirmity True But I have prayed for you that you may be strengthened also But though we be strong and confirmed so as we shal never fal quite away from Grace yet we may be unsetled True but I have not only prayed against your Apostacy but against your unsettlement The God of all Grace restore stablish strengthen and settle you even as the Foundation of the House is setled So that he doth not only pray for these Saints that they may be restored and put into joynt in opposition to their scattering but for confirmation in opposition to Apostacy and for settlement in opposition to al unstedfastness and for strength of Grace in opposition unto weakness the cause and ground of all unsetledness Now these Graces he doth assure them of by divers Arguments 1. Some drawn from the Nature of God he is the God of al Grace not of Grace only as the Syriack reads the words omitting the word All but he is the God of All Grace and therefore though you have need of much Grace yet you need not be discouraged for the God whom you deal with is a God of al Grace and under this Title have I prayed unto him for you It 's good closing with God in Prayer by that Title and Attribute which is most suitable to our Condition 2. Other Arguments are drawn from the precedent Work of God upon them Who hath called you unto his eternal Glory Now the Gifts and Calling of God are without Repentance Whom he hath called them he hath also glorified and therefore seeing he hath called you Emphaticum quoque illud quod in Graeco textu haec verba 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conjunguntur cum sequentibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ostendit enim Apostolus ex eodem gratiae sonte et primam ad gloriam Coelestem vocationem et ultimam hujus beneficii consummationem provenire Gerard. you may be assured that he wil confirm strengthen and settle you Gods Calling-Grace doth assure us of his Confirming-Grace he that hath called you unto eternal Glory Even He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Emphatical and omitted in the English to be read thus The God of all Grace who hath called you c. he himself establish you c. But our sufferings do stil abound for we are
of God that are unsetled in the Truth These things write I unto thee saith Paul to Timothy that thou mayest know how to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the living God the Pillar and Ground of Truth Yea every Member of a Church should be a Pillar in the House of God So the Lord promiseth to the Church of Philadelphia Surely therefore it is matter of great Importance for a Church and people of God to be setled and established But Thirdly and especially It is a great Mercy and Blessing for a particular soul to be setled in the Truth and established in the good Waies of God It 's a good thing saith the Apostle that the heart be established with Grace not with Meats which have not profited them that have been exercised therein Possibly a mans heart may be comforted and strengthâ—ned with Meats Psal 104.15 it 's said And Wine that maketh glad the heart of man and Bread which strengtheneth mans heart Where the same word is used by the Septuagint that is here used in the Text. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag But the Apostle Paul doth relate to the Ceremonial Law for the Jews converted to Christ Judaei ad Christum conversi supâ—â—stitiosius inhaerebant observationi legalium ceremoniarum cumprimis discriâ—â—ini ciborum a Moyse prescripto illis haec sententià est opposita Gerrard in loc were too superstitiously addicted to the observation of Legal Ceremonies especially those which concerned Meats and difference of Meats Rom. 14.2 Col. 2.16 and to those is this Speech opposed It is good that the heart be established with Grace as if he should say some think to find Establishment in the observation of Meats and Doctrines for the Jewish Ceremonies but the best Establishment is in the Doctrine of the Gospel Quidam in genere intelligunt interna et Spiritualia Dei dona quibus homines sanctificantur quidam doctrinam Christianam side susceptam Gratiam Christianismi ut sit sensus firmitatem et stabilimentum cordis quaerendum esse in gratia Dei quam N. T. mediator Christus attulit non in observatione ciborum quam Moses tradidit Ibid. and the Grace of God revealed in the Gospel Some think that by Grace here we are to understand Holiness and those Spiritual Gifts whereby men are Sanctified But having said in the former words Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines these words seâ—m to comply and correspond better with them if by Grace we understand the Doctrine of the New Testament from which the Galatians are said to fall Ye are fallen from Grace when they returned to the Law But in both respects it is a good or beautiful thing that the heart be established with Grace For It is the ground of all our Fruitfulness Ye know how it is with a Tree or Plant thâ—ugh in it self it be never so good yet if it be not setled in the Earth it bringeth forth no Fruit If the Plant be good and the Soyl good it may bring forth good Fruit but if you be alwaies removing it from one place to another it cannot bring forth Fruit. And what is the reason that many are so unfruitful in their lives but because they are so unsetled in their hearts and Judgments The Tree that is planted by the Waters side brings forth Fruit in its season Psal 1. But as for the Ungodly it is not so with them They are as the Chaff that brings forth no Fruit whom the wind drives to and fro And the Truth is an unsetled man is neither fit to receive good nor to do good So long as the Vessel is moved up and down ye cannot pour the Liquor into it and who can write exactly when his arm is jogged Can any man walk exactly in a crowd which one while carrieth him this way and anoâ—her while that way No surely Neither can an unsetled unestablished heart walk exactly with the Lord his God It is the bottom of al our Praises The Birds do not ordinarily sing til they be set they do not usually sing flying but when they are fixed then they begin to sing So saith David My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed and what then then saith he I will sing and give praise but not til then and what is the reason that many pass â—o many yeers of their lives in doubtings and fears never praising God for any love or Mercy to them but because they are unsetled in their Spiritual Estate and Condition It is the beginning of our Perseverance Then I begin to persevere when I begin to settle and to established as Instability is the beginning of Apostacy so Settledness is the beginning of Perseverance It is that good thing which pleaseth God exceedingly God was so pleased with Jehosaphat upon that account that he passed by and winked at al his Infirmities even because his heart was fixed and established 2 Chron. 19.2 the Prophet reproves him for joyning with the Ungodly Nevertheless saith he there are good things found in thee in that thou hast taken away the Groves out of the Land and hast prepared thine heart So ye read it but I think rather And hast fixed established or set thine heart to seek God On the contrary it 's said of Rehoboam though he did many good things That he did evil in the sight of the Lord because he prepared not or because he fixed not established not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Niphal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paratus sâ—mus stabilis qui nec everti nec impediri qucat in Pirl et Hiphil paravit preparavit sinnavit confirmavit stabilivit includit firmitatem et certitudinem Shindlerg set not his heart to seek God 2 Chron. 12.14 it is the same word which we translate Establish in other Scriptures as Psal 40.2 He hath set my feet upon a Rock and established my goings and it notes such a fixation and settlement whereby a man doth so continue in his way and course that he wil not be put out of it This Rehoboam wanted for he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a soft hearted man naturally and though he did many things that were right and good yet he was led by the Counsel of his yong men and his heart was not set and fixed to seek the Lord but Jehosaphat was of a stedfast Spirit and would not be put out of his way and therefore though he did some things amiss yet the Lord commends him and accepts of him So that although a man do many good things yet if his heart be not fixed and established the Lord will pass by and not regard the same But though a man do commit great evils yet if his heart be set to seek the Lord God wil pardon and pass by al his Failâ—ngs O! Cur quaeso in tanta multitudine valoâ—um ne naum quidem vitreum reperituâ— diâ—â—s quod cum facile frangâ—tur est symbolum inconstantiae quam
wicked and slave them because they trust in him So in Isai 26. verse 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Mark the words Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace so you read it but in the Hebrew the words run thus Thou wilt keep peace peace not peace and doubting not peace and trouble but peace peace why because he trusteth in thee But I cannot trust in God I have no assurance of Gods Love Mark the words he wil keep him in peace peace whose mind is stayed on thee he doth not say who hath assurance of Gods Love but if it be but a Faith of Relyance though it be not a Faith of Assurance he wil keep him in peace peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Now if the Lord be thus engaged to help and succor men that do beleeve then certainly Faith can do very much in a suffering day Now I have given you an account of the General how it comes to pass that Faith can do it Faith wil carry us through al our Sufferings though they be never so great and you see how Faith can do it and so the Doctrine is cleer Now for Application If true saving Faith be such an accommodation unto al our Suffering Applic. then in case that any of you are to suffer any great Suffering the first thing you do cal in for Faith As I said upon the former Doctrine seeing that Faith wil do great things and therefore if you have any great thing to do cal in for Faith So now I say upon this Doctrine Seeing that true saving Faith can and wil suffer very hard things in case you have any thing to suffer first cal in for Faith cal in for Faith If you have a great sickness you wil send for the best Physitian that hath the most skil at such a Disease Faith hath the best skil at your Suffering and therefore send and call in for Faith as soon as ever you come to the brink of these Waters cal for your Faith and look to your Faith Object You wil say But these are no suffering times the Winter is past and there is no suffering now Answ Then bless God and praise the Lord that you have so much Gospel Liberty as you have But our Lord and Savior saith that in the last daies there shal be such great tribulation as never was and I am sure we are fallen into the last daies our Brethren in the Vallies of Pâ—edmont they have suffered and the Apostle commands us to be in bonds with those that are in bonds and to be afflicted with those that are afflicted what do you know what your Faith may do for them But to come a little neerer our selves Is there never a Servant here that suffers from an evil Master that would fain go to the Ordinance frequent the Ordinance but checked scorned and despised by his Master Is there never a Husband here or Wife here that suffers hard things from his or her Relation meerly upon the account of Religion Is there never a man or woman here that hath suffered hard things from the hand of his or her Kindred since they began to look towards Christ Is there never a Professor here that suffers from the hand of some Professor what devouring among us biting consuming one another Of al reproachings and sufferings you wil find those most bitter that come from Professors when one Professor doth reproach another and slander another and persecute another Now if there be any here unto you I speak cal in for Faith whatsoever your Sufferings be cal in for Faith But suppose there be none of these Sufferings among us who knows how soon you or I may be called forth to Sufferings if not in the PublicK yet in our Particular I have heard of a good man and woman that were feasting at a great Dinner upon the account of Gods Goodness and Mercy to their Family and while they were at Dinner celebrating the goodness of the Lord to their Family them and their Children comes a Messenger in and saith One of your Children is dropt into the Well and drowned Beloved in the Lord Who knows how soon a Relation of yours or mine may be in the Well how soon such a Comfort of yours or mine may be in the Well Wherefore cal in for Faith in al your Sufferings cal in for Faith Quest You wil say unto me What shall we do that we may so strengthen or improve our Faith as that we may bear up in a way of beleeving against Sufferings for I am a man or a woman that I confess have met with Sufferings and I am seldom out of Sufferings somtimes in my Body somtimes in my Name somtimes in my Estate somtimes in my Relation and the Lord knows what I may be called to suffer what shall we do that we may so strengthen or improve our Faith that we may bear up in a way of beleeving against al our Sufferings Answ 1 First of al Consider frequently what great things the Lord hath done for you already I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high I will remember all thy wondrous works saith the Psalmist stirring up his Faith and getting strength from Faith The Consideration of what great things God hath done for you already wil engage your heart and make you willing to suffer For Example go along wih me a little and I wil instance only in that great matter of your first Conversion and turning to God That day that thou were converted and brought home to God al thy sins were pardoned past present and to come I say vertually those that are to come That day that thou were converted and brought home to God thou wert made the Child of God and Heir of the Kingdom which is incorruptible undefiled and which fadeth not away That day thou wert converted and brought home to God thou hadst the Key of the Scripture put into thy bosom I say thou hadst the Key of the Scripture put into thy bosom to wear it I mean the Spirit of God That day that thou were converted and brought home to God thy old Nature was taken away and thou were made partaker of the Divine Nature That day that thou were converted and brought home to God thou wert received into Union with Christ and into Communion thou wert received into Union and into Communion with the Father and with Jesus Christ That day that thou wert converted and brought home to God thy Soul was freed those that the Son makes free they are free indeed though your wil were not libera yet it was liberata as soon as a man is converted and brought home to God he is free to Duty though not free from Duty and he is free from his sin though he be not free to his sin That day thou wert converted and brought home to God thou wert received
Doctrine Page 325 3 If you do beleeve then see that you walk answerable thereunto ibid. Sermon XIII Means against Discouragements Page 327 DOCT. Faith is the Help against all Discouragements Page 328 For your better understanding consider 1 What is Hope ibid. 2 That Faith quiets the heart in sad times ibid. 3 It is the day of all the Saints to trust in God especially at that time ibid. 4 What there is in faith and how faith can do it ibid. Quest 1. What is it to trust in God ib. Answ 1 To trust in God is to rely on God for help c. ibid. 2 He that trusteth in God doth trust unto him for some good thing that lieth out of sight Page 329 Quest 2. How may it appear that Faith will quiet the soul Page 330 Answ It is proved several waies out of Scripture ibid. Faith gives free access to God Page 331 There are three Vails in Scripture 1. Of Obscurity 2. The Vail of covering guilt 3. A Vail of shame Page 332 Quest 3. How may it appear that when discouragements arise Faith must then be exercised and then especially ibid. Answ It was Davids case and the Scripture is express for it ibid. Quest 4. What power hath Faith to allay discouragements what is in faith can do it and how doth faith do it Page 333 Answ 1 Faith gives a man the true prospect of things past present and to come And all Discouragements arise because men do not see things as they are ibid. 2 True saving Faith sees that in God and in Christ which answers all our fears Page 335 3 Faith puts the Soul under Gods Commandements to answer all Objections Page 336 More briefly of saving Faith 1 It is the proper work of Faith to resign our wils unto Gods wil. Page 337 2 It is the proper work of Faith to apply a suitable Promise ibid. 3 True faith will not venture without Gods Call Page 338 4 True faith sees the hand of God in every dispensation ibid. 5 True faith looks on both sides of Gods Dispensation and of our own Condition ibid. 6 Fath sees one contrary in another ibid. 7 It is the work of true faith to engage God to suffer ibid. Application Then if discouragements arise exercise your faith ibid. Quest Will every faith quiet a mans heart ibid. Answ Negatively For There is a feigned and uneffectual and there is an unfeigned and effectual faith A counterfet faith will not quiet a mans soul c. ibid. Quest How then shal a man exercise his faith that he may bear up against all Discouragements Page 339 Answ 1 You must be humbled for your unbelief c. ibâ—d 2 Go not to God without Christ Page 340 3 Trust in the Lord himself and not in your own duties ibid. 4 Trust in the Lord before you do act in your business ibid. 5 Trust in Jesus Christ before you trust in the Promise Page 341 6 If God give you a Promise never let it go though you see nothing but the contrary ibid. Object I fear I should presume and tempt the Lord ibid. Answ To doubt after so much experience were rather to tempt the Lord Page 342 Quest If God give me a Promise and I see no performance how shall I not be discouraged Page 343 Answ Either it is thy Duty to beleeve on Christ or not if not why dost thou beleeve at all If it be thy Duty why shouldest thou not rely on him ibid. Be of good comfort for 1 If you want assurance in God look on Christ Page 344 2 If you want assurance turn your eyes from those Objections that invade your faith ibid. 3 Beleeve that you do beleeve Helps for Faith Page 344 1 God never leads his People to any great mercy but he puts the sentence of death on all means that tend to it ib. 2 It is a great sin to limit Gods mercy as to limit his power ibid. 3 When God gives a Promise he somtimes trieth whether we will beleeve or not ibid. 4 God often times fulfils one Promise and denieth another ibid. 5 When we see nothing but what is contrary to help then is Christs time to help Page 345 6 Be your Affliction ordinary or extraordinary you must trust to God for mercy ibid. 7 Questions to ask a mans own Soul to encourage us Page 346 8 Consider frequently and seriously what a blessed thing it is to trust in God Page 347 It is reasonable to wait on God For 1 He waited on you for your Repentance ibid. 2 You have waited on men wil you not wait on God ibid. 3 When you give over waiting deliverance may come to your shame Page 348 4 If you give over waiting you lose all your former labor ibid. 5 If you wait on God he will not alwaies forget your work of Faith Page 349 The Sin against the Holy Ghost ON Matth. 12.31 32. THere are two Arguments in the words Page 353 1 The largeness of Gods heart in forgiving sins to men ib. 2 The unpardonableness of the sin against the Holy Ghost ibid. I had rather speak first to the former but to prevent Objections from some distressed soul I shal fiâ—st speak to the latter Page 354 For opening the words Quest 1. Whether the Jews our Savior spake then to did then sin against the Holy Ghost ib. Answ Some think No But I rather think Yes for the Reasons in the Text. ibid. Quest 2. Is there any so giveness of sins in the world to come ibid. Answ It is an unusual Phrase noting the eternity of misery Page 355 DOCT. The Sin against the Holy Ghost is an unpardonable sin Page 355 The Truth opened by the enquiry into two things 1 What the Sin against the holy Ghost is ibid. 2 How this sin is unpardonable beyond other sins ibid. For to say what this sin is ibid. I answer Negaâ—ively and Affirmaâ—â—vely ibid. 1 Negatively It is not that sin whereby men do barely deny the Deity of the Holy Ghost c. ibid. 2 Nor is it every opposition to the work of the Holy Ghost c. Page 356 3 It is not necessary that every man who sins against the holy Ghost should be an universal Apostate as iâ— is ordinarily thought ibid. There is a two-fold Apostate Either one that declineth from the profession of the Truth Or one that rebels against the Tâ—uth revealed and wil go no further cleered by an example Page 357 4 Final Vnbelief and Impenitency is not the sin against the holy Ghost neither that a man lives and dies in nor that he purposeth to live in to the last for many have so purposed to live yet have been converted ibâ—d 1 The Jews did then commit this sin yet they had not continued in it to their death ibid. 2 Final unbelief is rather sin against God the Son ibid. 3 If final unbelief be this sin then Christ should threaten that he which dieth in his sin should not be forgiven